How many roots do my teeth have?

It’s strange to hear about our teeth having roots – aren’t those normally reserved for things like plants?  Just like a tree’s roots keep it in place in the earth, our teeth’s roots keep them anchored in our mouths – an important job!  

The first three teeth in both the top and bottom job have only one root. The fourth and fifth teeth have one root on the bottom jaw (usually) and the top fourth tooth usually has two small roots, like the tops of rabbit ears. The fifth tooth usually has one root. The sixth and seventh teeth (molars) usually have two roots on the bottom jaw and three roots on the top jaw. The third molar (wisdom tooth) demonstrates a lot of variability, from 1-3 roots. Usually, the lower wisdom teeth have 2.