The maxillary central incisor is a human tooth in the front upper jaw, or maxilla, and is usually the most visible of all teeth in the mouth. It is located mesial (closer to the midline of the face) to the maxillary lateral incisor. As with all incisors, their function is for shearing or cutting food during mastication (chewing). There is typically a single cusp on each tooth, called an incisal ridge or incisal edge. Formation of these teeth begins at 14 weeks in utero for the deciduous (baby) set and 3–4 months of age for the permanent set.

There are some minor differences between the deciduous maxillary central incisor and that of the permanent maxillary central incisor. The deciduous tooth appears in the mouth at 8–12 months of age and shed at 6–7 years, and is replaced by the permanent tooth around 7–8 years of age. The permanent tooth is larger and is longer than it is wide. The maxillary central incisors contact each other at the midline of the face. The mandibular central incisors are the only other type of teeth to do so. The position of these teeth may determine the existence of an open bite or diastema. As with all teeth, variations of size, shape, and color exist among people. Systemic disease, such as syphilis, may affect the appearance of teeth.

Dentistry has several systems of notation to identify teeth. In the universal system of notation, the deciduous maxillary central incisors are designated by a letter written in uppercase. The right deciduous maxillary central incisor is known as "E", and the left one is known as "F". The permanent maxillary central incisors are designated by a number. The right permanent maxillary central incisor is known as "8", and the left one is known as "9".^{[page needed]}

In the Palmer notation, a letter is used in conjunction with a symbol designating in which quadrant the tooth is found. For the deciduous teeth, the left and right central incisor would have the same letter, "A", but the right one would have the symbol, "┘", underneath it, while the left one would have, "└". For the permanent teeth, the left and right central incisor would have the same number, "1", but the right one would have the symbol, "┘", underneath it, while the left one would have, "└".^{[page needed]}

The FDI World Dental Federation notation has a different system of numbering system from the previous two. Thus, the right deciduous maxillary central incisor is known as "51", and the left one is known as "61". For the permanent maxillary central incisor, the right one is known as "11", and the left one is known as "21".^{[page needed]}

The aggregate of cells which eventually form a tooth are derived from the ectoderm of the first branchial arch and the ectomesenchyme of the neural crest. As in all cases of tooth development, the first hard tissue to begin forming is dentin, with enamel appearing immediately afterwards.^{[page needed]}

The deciduous maxillary central incisor begins to undergo mineralization 14 weeks in utero, and at birth 5/6ths of the enamel is formed. The crown of the tooth is completed 1.5 months after birth and erupts into the mouth at around 10 months of age, making these teeth usually the second type of teeth to appear. The root completes its formation when the child is 1.5 years old.^{[page needed]}

The permanent maxillary central incisor begins to undergo mineralization when a child is 3–4 months of age. The crown of the tooth is completed at around 4–5 years of age and erupts into the mouth at 7–8 years of age. The root completes its formation when the child is 10 years old.^{[page needed]}