Hypsodonty

Hypsodonty is a dental condition in which teeth have tall crowns, often with enamel extending below the gumline. It helps teeth withstand prolonged wear, especially from abrasive diets.

Dental crown: The part of a tooth visible above the gumline, covered by enamel. Hypsodont teeth have unusually tall crowns, much of which may initially lie below the gumline.
Brachydonty: A dental condition characterized by low-crowned teeth with crowns that do not extend far below the gumline. Brachydonty is the low-crowned condition opposite to hypsodonty.
Dental microwear analysis: The study of microscopic marks on teeth to infer diet and feeding behavior. Microwear offers evidence about the abrasive foods associated with high-crowned teeth.
Mammalian evolution: The evolutionary history and diversification of mammals. Hypsodonty evolved independently in multiple mammal groups during mammalian evolution.
Lophodonty and selenodonty: Two grinding-surface patterns in which enamel forms ridges on mammalian cheek teeth. These describe tooth-surface geometry, whereas hypsodonty describes crown height.
Tooth eruption: The movement of a developing tooth into its functional position in the mouth. Continued eruption can expose more crown as a hypsodont tooth wears down.
Hypselodonty: A dental condition in which teeth grow continuously throughout an animal’s life. Some hypsodont teeth also grow continuously, an extreme strategy for replacing worn crown.
Mesowear: A method for inferring diet from the shape and wear of mammalian tooth cusps. Mesowear helps compare diets among species with differently worn cheek teeth.
Cenozoic: The geological era extending from about 66 million years ago to the present. Many well-known shifts toward high-crowned teeth occurred among Cenozoic herbivores.
Hypsodonty index: A numerical measure comparing tooth crown height with another tooth dimension. The index quantifies degree of crown height rather than naming a separate dental condition.

Linked from 17 pages