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You are here: Home / Dental Articles / What is a spillway space or embrasure?

What is a spillway space or embrasure?

August 1, 2008 By Dr. Chetan 6 Comments

Definition – When two tooth in the same arch are in contact, their curvature adjacent to contact areas form spillway spaces also called embrasures. The spaces that widen out from the area ne contact labially or buccally and lingually are called labial or buccal and lingual inter proximal embrasures.

The embrasures are continuous with the inter proximal spaces between the tooth.
Above the contact areas incisally and occlusally, the spaces which are bounded by the marginal ridges as they join the cusps and incisal ridge are called as the incisal or occlusal embrasures.
Incisal or occlusal embrasures, and the labial or buccal and lingual embrasures are continuous.

The form of embrasures serve two purposes:
1. Provides a spillway for food during mastication.
2. Prevents food from being formed through the contact area.

Related posts:

  1. Anatomy of the Tooth – Structure, Parts and Labeled Diagram Explanation
  2. Andrew’s six keys of occlusion
  3. Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block
  4. What is a cusp?

Filed Under: Dental Articles Tagged With: embrasure, spillway, spillway space

Comments

  1. Kim says

    October 31, 2008 at 4:15 pm

    I am trying to figure out where a spillway is when carving restorations. Do you have a picture because mine are very vague.

  2. hana barakat says

    December 17, 2008 at 6:21 pm

    what is the widest embrasure?

  3. Apeksha says

    March 27, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    PLZ tell me between which teeth is the facial embrasure wider than the lingual and vice versa !

  4. guni says

    April 10, 2011 at 8:30 am

    plz tell me about shape of embrasures nd their functions

  5. mohamed says

    May 13, 2011 at 11:50 am

    What is a spillway space or embrasure?

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By Chetan Bhawani, a dentist graduated from Meghna Institute of Dental Sciences, India. Find me on Facebook.

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