What is a cusp?

A cusp is an elevation or mound on the crown portion of the tooth making up a divisional part of the occlusal surface.
In humans, the cusp are formed in posterior teeth i.e. The molars and premolars. The cuspal arrangement in the maxilla and mandible should compensate with each other so that correct occlusion occurs or this can lead to attrition.

The first premolar has a large buccal cusp which is well formed with non functioning lingual cusp.
The second premolar has three well formed cusp i.e. One large buccal cusp and two small lingual cusps.

The maxillary first molar has four well developed functioning cusp and one supplemental cusp. The four large cusps are mesiobuccal, distobuccal, mesiolingual, distolingual. The supplemental cusp is called as tubercle of carabelli.

What is Permanent dentition or Permanent teeth?

Permanent teeth are the ones which come after the fall or when the deciduous teeth have not fallen but are erupted. They are the 2nd and last set of teeth that mammals can have during their lifetime.
These teeth are more calcified and stronger than the deciduous teeth as they are to be for life time and function for major time for mastication and chewing process. Here, the pre-molars also appear and the complete arch form has no gaps.

The permanent teeth are total of 32 in number, 8 in each quarter of mouth.
They are -

Central Incisors - 4
Lateral Incisors - 4
Canines - 4
Premolars - 8
Molars - 12

What is deciduous dentition or Deciduous teeth?

Deciduous teeth is otherwise called as Milk teeth, Baby teeth, Temporary teeth or Primary teeth. These are the first set of dentition or teeth that any mammal gets during their lifetime.
They start developing when the child is still in its foetal stages, and they are visible in the very small age of life. They fall off before the teen age is reached and then are replaced by the permanent teeth.

Teething age of deciduous teeth:

* Central incisors : 6-12 months
* Lateral incisors : 9-16 months
* Canine teeth : 16-23 months
* First molars : 13-19 months
* Second molars : 22-33 months

There are no pre-molars seen in temporary teeth and so, there are a total of 20 teeth seen in deciduous dentition.

What is an Alveolar bone?

Alveolar bone(also called as alveolar process) is a part of the jaws which forms and protects the sockets for the teeth. Its the thickened part of the ridge of the jaws.
Maxillary alveolar process is the ridge present on the superior surface, and the mandibular alveolar process is the ridge seen on the inferior surface. The alveolar process is the thickest region in the jaw.

The alveolar process is the bony part and it has 2 parts on its own -
1. Alveolar bone proper
2. Supporting alveolar bone

Alveolar bone proper is present just adjacent the tooth socket around the root and it gives the attachment to the periodontal ligament fibers, which are the principle fibers. These fibers which enter the bone are regarded as Sharpey’s fibers. And the bone which is the lodgement site for the fibers is called as the Bundle bone.

Gum disease can be a sign of Cancer

If your gums are different from what they were previously, they can just not be a general infection, as a recent study has revealed that Gum infection can be a sign of Cancerous condition. This is not just for smokers, but its a risk for non smokers too.
Researchers from Imperial College London has found that gum disease can be an indication of any deleoping cancers of Lung, Kidney, Blood and Pancreas.

Gum disease is due to microorganisms and this infection becomes very much easier to infect if the immune system is worsened, and the immune system is damaged generally when there are any cancerous infections.
Around 14% of gum disease patients were known to have cancer of any one of the organs.