tannbuer

Tannbuer is a term used in some Scandinavian languages to signify the dental arches—the curved rows of teeth that define the upper and lower jaws. In modern medical and dental English, the same concept is typically called the dental arch or arcus dentalis; tannbuer is therefore chiefly encountered in historical, linguistic, or regional texts rather than contemporary clinical literature.

Etymology and variants: The compound combines tann meaning "tooth" with buer/buer, a root related to arches or bows in several Germanic languages. The form tannbuer is generally understood as a plural in Scandinavian usage, with equivalents found in Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish dialect materials. Precise spelling and number can vary by language and era.

Usage and context: Historically, tannbuer appears in descriptions of dentition, jaw morphology, or anthropological accounts of human populations. In current practice, scholars prefer terminologies such as dental arch, maxillary arch, and mandibular arch. Regional dictionaries or older anatomical treatises may list tannbuer as a direct translation for "tooth arch."

See also: Dental arch; Arcus dentalis; Dentition.