Your Ultimate Information Platform

Tooth Numbers – Things You Need to Know


Tooth Numbers & Numbering Your Tooth

The very first impression that can be a signature of your personality is your smile. The people wearing a nice smile are said to have a good personality and vice versa. The very essence of a pleasing smile is your healthy teeth and gums. So if you have a problem with your teeth, it means the problem is going to erode the beauty of your personality by damaging your smile. In this article, we will discuss in detail about Tooth Numbers, How to numbering your tooth and gums. 

It means you got to know about your teeth and gums before they attract your attention because of any infection caused by any reason. But, when you visit a dentist in case of a toothache, you suffer from further problems being unable to tell the location of your ailing tooth. Numbering your tooth is something that is highly subjective for you but you never thought of it. Simply, you don’t know which of your tooth has which number.

So let’s dive deep into the world of teeth and get acquainted with the tooth-numbering, and different systems prevailing in the world. Yes, in different parts of the world, dentists use different terminologies of tooth numbers which slightly differ from other dentists though they mean the same tooth. Good teeth and gums mean you can enjoy a lot of foods, the same as with your good hearing capability can double your music listening fun. So let’s have an insight into the world of tooth numbers.


Tooth Numbers

The last thing familiar to you when you are sitting at a dentist’s clinic is Quadrant. When you come across this terminology, don’t assume that the dental staff is talking about some chemical or physics-related formulae. In fact, they are talking about the location of your aching tooth referring to a particular tooth number.

To begin with, dentists divide your teeth into four sections or quadrants to be precise. The upper right and left are two portions or two quadrants of your mouth while the lower portion divided into two parts are two lower quadrants. Thus, the top right portion of your mouth is said to be Quadrant one. This is your right side, though. Similarly, your top left portion is the second quadrant or Quadrant two. However, the bottom compared to the top portions is a bit complicated. When you get to count your upper tooth, you begin with your right side as the starting point.

But, when you reach the lower portion, you got to start numbering your tooth from left. Thus, your lower left portion becomes Quadrant 3 while the lower right portion becomes Quadrant four. Thus from a dentist’s perspective, it is easier to consider Quadrant two right under the quadrant three. This technique serves the dentist with great ease as he can number your teeth going in clockwise sequence and can number your teeth as quadrant 1, 2, 3 and 4 accordingly.

Numbering Your Gums – Tooth Numbers

The very first issue that a dentist considers for toothache patients is gum disorders. In order to define your tooth-health, dentists have developed their own terminology. The foremost technique with the dentist to measure the intensity of your tooth-gum disorder is the distance between your gum pocket and the tooth nearby.

Thus, each and every tooth of your mouth will have a number of its gum-gap. The distance is measured in millimeters which as a patient gives you a little piece of solace in terms of the little gap between the gum and teeth. If there is a large gap between teeth and gums, then it means there could be a gum disorder such as plaque and/or tartar buildup damaging teeth/gums.

1 to 3 millimeters distance in diameter of your gums suggests that you got healthy gums. It shows that you brush your teeth regularly and floss them properly which is a good omen for oral hygiene. A larger number or more distance or a bigger diameter is an alarming situation. A bigger gap between gums and teeth indicates that there has been a while between dental or oral cleanings. The natural outcome of such a situation is inflammation.

Some dentists may warn you that you might be heading to an early stage of periodontal disease or bone loss in other words. The test the dentists will opt for is to check if your gums bleed regularly. If you got a gum number of five millimeters, then you have every reason to be worried about your teeth’ health. The first thing your dentist is likely to suggest you is to go for regular and deep cleaning.

The deep cleaning is expected to remove the plaque buildup between tooth and gum. Gum loss or a cracked tooth could be among other reasons for the tooth problem. If the situation has gone beyond control, then corrective surgery is the only option left for such patients. But, a professional dentist will always prefer first light dental treatments first, though.

Numbering Your Teeth

Dentists have developed a chart that helps them notify the problem and healthy teeth. If you got good ears, you can have a fairly good update about your mouth and teeth hygiene condition by listening to the dentist’s talk about your problem. ISO/FDI system has been developed by the World Health Organization and is being followed in Canada. But, there are countries such as the US where dentists use a system known as the Universal System. In the UK, dentists follow the Palmer Notation Method.

The ISO/FDI System Used in Canada

Normally, dentists use a two-digit numbering system. Thus, the upper right teeth start with the number “1” or 11. Similarly, the upper left teeth start with the number “2” or 21. The lower left teeth start with the number “3” or 31. Lastly, the lower right teeth start with the number 4 or 41.

Ironically, every person may not have all teeth up to 32. For instance, if you have a problem with tooth 48, it means you have a problem with your wisdom tooth which normally dentists extract to enhance the overall health of your teeth and gums.

tooth numbers

Also, let it be pointed out that normally the upper half of the mouth receives lower. For instance, 11 to 17 and 21 to 27 shown on the chart are the upper half of your mouth. Besides, the second purpose of the tooth numbering is that it locates the type of tooth being discussed. I hope this article clears a lot of your concepts about tooth numbers and numbering your tooth.

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.