The extremely precise and accurate drawings described in Section I of this chapter have the value of developing skills to accurately visualize and reproduce the subtle outlines and exact grooves of a specific tooth from various views. However, this time-consuming method of copying teeth may have limited value in helping the student to quickly sketch a tooth from memory for a specified view as might be expected during a conversation with an instructor or a patient. Therefore, this section includes guidelines that can be useful for dental and dental hygiene students when learning how to quickly sketch a specific tooth and view from memory.

In order to sketch a facial view of a recognizable tooth from memory, the drawer must have knowledge of the following characteristics related to the tooth being drawn: (a) approximate crown-to-root ratio (i.e., how much longer is the root compared to the crown), (b) approximate crown proportions (i.e., which is wider: the crown width or its length), (c) location of the crown heights of contour (crests of curvature), (d) crown shape (taper, incisal edge shape or number and relative size of cusps, and cementoenamel junction [CEJ] shape), and (e) root shape (taper and number of roots) when drawing the entire tooth. If one considers each of these tooth characteristics in the appropriate order, sketching a tooth becomes a relatively easy task and is an excellent exercise to apply all of the knowledge of dental morphology that was presented in Section I of this text: Comparative Tooth Anatomy.

As an example, consider a sketch of a right maxillary central incisor from the facial view. Follow along with Figure 13-4 as you read about each step.

Step A: Consider the root-to-crown ratio. It is not expected that a student will remember the exact ratio of this tooth (1.16 to 1), but rather he or she should recall that all roots are normally longer than the crown. On maxillary central incisors, the root is only slightly longer than the crown. Based on this fact, three parallel horizontal lines can be drawn to denote the distance of the crown length from incisal edge to the cervical line relative to the root length from cervical line to root apex (only slightly longer). Position the smaller crown length on top for the mandibular teeth and on the bottom for maxillary teeth. For this maxillary central incisor, the crown length is on the bottom.

Step B:

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