The first thing to realize is dentists use a two-digit numbering system. So the upper right teeth begin with the number “1” (i.e. 11), the upper left teeth begin with the number “2” (i.e. 21), the lower left teeth begin with the number “3” (i.e. 31), and the lower right teeth begin with the number “4” (i.e. 41). You may not have all of these teeth. For example, tooth 48 is a wisdom tooth, one that dentists oftentimes extract to improve the overall health of your mouth.
The upper half of your mouth has lower numbers. These are teeth 11-17, and 21-27 on the dental chart. The numbering system has a second purpose, though. It also identifies which type of tooth is under discussion.
Since the counting system begins in the middle of the upper quadrant on the right side, the first two teeth are incisors. They are numbers 11 and 12 on the chart. The next tooth is a canine, which is number 13. The premolar teeth are 14 and 15 and the molars are 15-18.
When your dentist calls out numbers, the incisors are the most confusing to understand. That’s because four of them rest on the top and bottom layers of teeth. They also reside in all four quadrants. The upper right quadrant’s incisors are 11 and 12. The upper left quadrant’s incisors are 21 and 22. Your canine teeth are 13 and 23. Your premolars are numbered as 14, 15, 24, 25 and your molars are 16-18 and 26-28.
The same is true on the bottom. The counting starts in the lower left quadrant, where the incisors are 31, 32, 41 and 42. The canines are 33 and 43 and the premolars are 34, 35, 44 and 45. Then, the molars are 36-38 and 46-48.
Using this information, dentists can quickly notate which teeth have issues that need correction. As an example, a chip in the second molar in quadrant four would show as tooth 47 on the chart. Wisdom teeth are the 8th tooth in each quadrant, so they’re numbers 18, 28, 38, and 48 respectively.
Now that you understand the dental numbering system, you should pay attention during your visits. You can learn a lot about the current state of your teeth!
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