When you get your teeth cleaned, the hygienist often uses some sort of chart to indicate how long it’s been since your last cleaning, how long it’s been since your last flossing session, and how long it’s been since you had any cavities repaired or fillings replaced. If you don’t know what this teeth numbering chart like, take a look at the picture below, which shows the numbering system that most dentists use.
Front Teeth
0-3 Wisdom Teeth: 1-2, 5-8 Incisors: 4 Canines: 7 Premolars: 6 Molars: 3 Front Teeth : 0-6 Wisdom Teeth : 1-2, 7 – 8 Incisors : 4 Canines : 8 Premolars : 9 Molars: 10. A complete chart will include all 32 permanent teeth. When you look at a dental teeth chart numbered it will be broken down into quadrants, with quadrant one representing your upper right molar and so forth.
The left side of each quadrant represents your lower left molar and so forth; there is no left or right designation in relation to where you stand in front of a mirror while looking at a dental number chart for reference purposes when it comes to reading a number chart for children and adults alike as we do not have an upside down or right side up as everything is oriented by where we are standing facing a mirror from behind (looking at our own backs) with respect to our body parts. As such, everyone’s teeth numbering chart will always appear differently.
The first row on a teeth numbering chart represents your top row of teeth from left to right. The second row on a dental number chart represents your bottom row of teeth from left to right. For example, if you wanted to find out what tooth #7 was then you would go across until you hit that point and then count over two spaces until you reach that specific tooth.
Canines
These are located just in front of your incisors, towards the center of your mouth. They’re usually easy to spot because they have pointed tips. Canines come in different shapes and sizes; some look more like actual canine teeth than others. It’s common for canines to break or be chipped, especially if you use them often for chewing or grinding. In fact, it’s one of the most common tooth injuries. If you notice that a canine is broken or chipped, call our office immediately. You may need a root canal treatment—which is serious business! Let us take care of it right away so that it doesn’t get worse.
Premolars
The premolars are teeth numbers 8, 9, and 10. The lower premolar is also known as a bicuspid, or two roots. It contains two roots because it has two separate root canals that branch out from one another but never connect to each other. The upper premolar is also referred to as a canine tooth and only has one root canal that runs through it horizontally. They are located directly behind your cuspids (the number 7 teeth). Premolars have three main parts: crown, neck, and root.
The crown is the visible part of your tooth above your gum line; it protects the soft tissues underneath from damage caused by chewing food. The neck connects your crown to your root, which sits under your gums. The shape of a tooth’s neck varies depending on its position in your mouth. For example, all molars have wide necks while premolars have thin necks that resemble small cracks between their crowns and roots. Lastly, there is no pulp inside these teeth since they don’t contain any nerves or blood vessels like molars do.
Molars
The last molars, known as wisdom teeth, arrive between ages 17 and 25. After that, you’ll have some extra room in your mouth for a few decades. But by age 51 or so, most people find that their wisdom teeth start pushing against existing molars, causing pain and sometimes infection. In most cases, dentists will remove them to alleviate problems. If you don’t want to go through with it yourself (or if you already did), see if someone posted a dental number chart online before they had their wisdom teeth pulled so you can confirm which tooth is which. Just search for teeth chart numbered and follow along.
