Teeth numbers can seem pretty arbitrary at first, but they actually serve an important purpose in the dental world. Since most teeth are named after their positions in the mouth (upper left incisor, lower right molar), each tooth has its own unique tooth numbers to differentiate it from others of its kind and position.
Tooth Numbering: How Does It Work?
There are several different systems for numbering teeth. In North America, dentists number each tooth from 1 to 32, starting with four premolars in both of a person’s top and bottom jaws. The numbers are repeated for each row of teeth moving inwards towards a person’s tongue; hence, someone with eight rows of teeth would have 32 on both top and bottom. Other common numbering systems start with either 10 or 20 and repeat until someone has 40 total teeth on their top and bottom jaws (this numbering system is used in Australia). When ordering dental work such as crowns, dentists also use upper and lower as abbreviations when communicating between one another.
Know The Basics
For those who plan to become a dentist, it’s important to not only have a strong grasp of what services dentists offer and how they’re able to help patients, but also understand some of their commonly used terminology. The numbers of teeth is one example that many new dental students grapple with; there are 28 total adult teeth—also known as permanent (or primary) teeth. While baby teeth (also called deciduous or milk) can vary from 20 to 32 in number and aren’t permanent, any type of dental disease that affects a child’s baby tooth could affect how and where permanent teeth will erupt. Knowing these types of details about teeth is critical for anyone interested in dentistry.
Lingual umbers Explained
Lingual numbers are shorthand numbers used to denote teeth. They are typically represented in a format like 7r, which would refer to a right central incisor. The lingual numbering system is largely useful for dentists. As it allows them to describe a patient’s teeth without having to constantly resort to words. It can also be used when filling out forms that ask for patient information by tooth number. Instead of using vague descriptions such as the upper left cuspid. In theory. Lingual numbers could allow any dentist anywhere to communicate. With another about a patient’s condition and treatment plan. But some dental professionals consider lingual numbers too difficult. For patients (and referring dentists) to understand.
Avoid Confusion With Different Numbering Systems
The most common system of numbering teeth has 32 permanent teeth: eight upper and eight lower incisors, four canines, four premolars and eight molars. However, there are several other systems that some people use. Dentists number teeth in deciles (from one to ten) to describe a complete arch of teeth as one molar, two premolars and so on. Another numbering system uses quadrants (from one to four) with each quadrant containing three cusps on all permanent maxillary teeth except for incisors.
Understand Lingual Vs. Labial Measurements
Most of us have a hard time remembering lingual and labial measurements, so it’s good to at least be familiar with them. These terms will help you get up to speed. Lingual means towards the tongue, whereas labial refers to the lips. Both types of measurements refer to teeth placement in relation to other teeth.
