How do you Know the tooth.......... - Dental Health Message Board

chatty8484 · 06-13-2005, 10:06 AM

number? I hear people saying my 6th tooth is infected or I need a crown on my 5th.....how exactly does that work? How do you know the number of the tooth?
I know odd question but just curious

chatty

soliloquy · 06-14-2005, 06:05 AM

There are two ways dental professionals number teeth: First, #1 is your upper right third molar (wisdom tooth) then the teeth are numbered around to your upper left third molar which is #16. This makes your two upper front teeth #'s 8 & 9. Then the lower left third molar is #17, counting around to the lower right third molar which is #32. Then other method divides the mouth into four quadrants, upper right, upper left, lower right, lower left and the teeth are numbered starting from the front to the back 1-8. They identify the quadrant, then the tooth number in that quadrant.

freje · 06-14-2005, 08:37 PM

I found this via Google. It shows the numbering quite well.

http://www.ada.org/public/topics/permanent_number.asp

sorry-can't seem to get hyperlink working, so there is the URL itself.

chatty8484 · 06-14-2005, 11:56 PM

Thanks a bunch