How To Understand What Teeth Your Dentist Is Talking About

Have you ever gone to the dentist and were not quite sure about what teeth they are talking about when looking in your mouth? That's because your dentist uses a lot of specific terms to help accurately describe what they are seeing. It helps to know the following lingo that the dentist uses to call your teeth so that you can understand exactly what they are saying during your checkup.

Maxillary And Mandibular Teeth

Your dentist will often use the technical names for your upper and lower teeth when referring to them. The maxillary teeth are those found in your upper jaw, and the mandibular teeth are those found in the lower jaw. 

Anterior, Posterior, And Canine Teeth

The anterior teeth are going to be those located on the front of both your upper and lower jaw, and extend between each of your canine teeth. In other words, they are the six teeth found in the center of your mouth on each jaw. Those canine teeth are often referred to as cuspids, but you may have called them your vampire teeth based on how they stick out slightly. The posterior teeth are all those teeth that reside behind the canine teeth.

Incisor Teeth

The anterior teeth are broken down even further, with the four in the middle being known as the incisors. Those incisors have another subset, with the two middle teeth being known as central incisors, and the ones on the outside called the lateral incisors. 

Molars

The teeth behind your canine teeth are known as the molars, which also have two subsets of names. The first two teeth behind the canine teeth are known as the premolars, which are known and the first premolar and second premolar as you go farther back into the mouth. The premolars also can be called bicuspids. The back three teeth are known as the first, second, and third molar. The third molar also is known as your wisdom tooth, which you may or may not have depending on if it was already removed or if it has grown in.

Tooth Numbers

In addition to all these names, teeth can also be referred to as numbers. The counting starts at the upper right portion of your jaw and includes your wisdom tooth as #1, which is counted no matter if it is there or not. You then count all around the upper jaw until the opposite wisdom tooth on the left is counted as #16. You then start counting the lower jaw from the left side and move to the right, which means your lower left wisdom tooth is #17 and the lower right wisdom tooth is #32.

Now that you know the terms, you'll know exactly what your dentist teeth your dentist is talking about without having to ask them.

For more information, talk to your dentist.