Antagonist (dentistry)
In dentistry, an antagonist is the tooth opposite a tooth in the opposing jaw.
Relationships of teeth to one another
The antagonist of a maxillary tooth lies in the lower jaw and vice versa. With tooth-to-tooth interlocking, each tooth has only one antagonist. In a tooth-to-two-tooth relationship, each tooth has a major and a minor antagonist. The main antagonist is the tooth with which the respective tooth has the most extensive contact. For example, tooth 36 is the main agonist of tooth 26. In the upper jaw, the minor antagonist is mesial to the main antagonist and in the lower jaw is distal to the main antagonist.
The exceptions:
- Tooth 31 & 41, these are the two central incisors in the lower jaw
- tooth 17 & 27 or 18 and 28 (if the wisdom teeth are present). These are the last teeth in the upper jaw.
Pain
In the event of early contact between two antagonists, for example due to a crown that is too high, the resulting overload can lead to tooth loosening and pain in the affected teeth. By eliminating the early contact by grinding in , freedom from pain can be achieved and, at best, the tooth will also strengthen again.