The maxillary second molar is the

tooth A tooth (: teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tea ...

located distally (away from the midline of the face) from both the maxillary first molars of the

mouth A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...

but mesial (toward the midline of the face) from both

maxillary third molar The third molar, commonly called wisdom tooth, is the most posterior (anatomy), posterior of the three molar (tooth), molars in each Commonly used terms of relationship and comparison in dentistry#Quadrant, quadrant of the human tooth, human den ...

s. This is true only in permanent teeth. In

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

(baby) teeth, the maxillary second molar is the last tooth in the mouth and does not have a third molar behind it. The function of this molar is similar to that of all molars in regard to grinding being the principal action during mastication, commonly known as chewing. There are usually four

cusp A cusp is the most pointed end of a curve. It often refers to cusp (anatomy), a pointed structure on a tooth. Cusp or CUSP may also refer to: Mathematics * Cusp (singularity), a singular point of a curve * Cusp catastrophe, a branch of bifu ...

s on maxillary molars, two on the buccal (side nearest the cheek) and two palatal (side nearest the palate). There are great differences between the

(baby) maxillary molars and those of the permanent maxillary molars, even though their function are similar. The permanent maxillary molars are not considered to have any teeth that precede it. Despite being named molars, the deciduous molars are followed by permanent premolars. The deciduous maxillary second molar is the most likely deciduous tooth to have an oblique ridge. In the universal system of notation, the deciduous maxillary second molars are designated by a letter written in uppercase. The right deciduous maxillary second molar is known as "A", and the left one is known as "J". The international notation has a different system of notation. Thus, the right deciduous maxillary second molar is known as "55", and the left one is known as "65". In the universal system of notation, the permanent maxillary second molars are designated by a number. The right permanent maxillary second molar is known as "2", and the left one is known as "15". In the Palmer notation, a number is used in conjunction with a symbol designating in which quadrant the tooth is found. For this tooth, the left and right second molars would have the same number, "7", but the right one would have the symbol, "┘", underneath it, while the left one would have, "└". The international notation has a different numbering system than the previous two, and the right permanent maxillary second molar is known as "17", and the left one is known as "27".

References

*Ash, Major M. and Stanley J. Nelson, 2003. ''Wheeler’s Dental Anatomy, Physiology, and Occlusion.'' 8th edition. Types of teeth Human mouth anatomy {{Tooth anatomy