Susan MacPhail

07 Four Molars

A bronze anatomical study that visualizes the structural fissures of a permanent molar, emphasizing the biological origins of dental restoration.

“"Four Molars" Human teeth are made from four or five lobes of enamel. The lobes of enamel do not entirely fuse together which leaves fissures in which oral bacteria reside. The bacteria feed on sugar and excrete acid, which demineralizes human enamel. This bronze sculpture is an educational visual aid which shows the gap between five lobes, on a lower first permanent molar tooth. Erupting at the age of six or seven years old, it is often the first tooth to decay and need a restoration. ”