It’s easy to get caught up in learning about the importance of dental cleanings, flossing, and wearing a night guard when you have braces, but it’s equally important to learn about how all of your teeth fit together as a braces power chain. After all, healthy teeth are only part of the picture; healthy gums are equally essential to your oral health and overall body wellness. Use this visual guide to learn about where each tooth belongs within the dental mouth chart and be sure to ask your dentist any questions you have as well!
Deciduous Teeth
Your baby will come out with 20 baby teeth, ten on top and ten on bottom. These are known as deciduous teeth, or baby teeth. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends visiting a dentist by age one year for an evaluation of your child’s gums and first primary tooth. By age three years, all primary (baby) teeth chart numbered should be visible without tilting or pushing on your child’s lips. Primary tooth loss often begins around five years old; however, some children may have their first primary tooth fall out as early as 18 months old, while others can have all 20 permanent adult teeth in place by age 3 1⁄2 years old!
Permanent Teeth
The permanent teeth are located in your upper and lower jaws. Each tooth is identified by a number or letter, but you’ll notice that not all of them have numbers or letters. That’s because there are different types of permanent teeth and their names depend on where they’re found in your mouth. Examples include wisdom teeth, lateral incisors, central incisors, canines and premolars.
How many teeth do we have?
Although everyone has a total of 32 permanent adult teeth, some people are born with extra teeth or lose some over time. The actual number of teeth varies from person to person, but there are always 20 deciduous (baby) and 32 permanent teeth. Two rows—the top and bottom—of 20 teeth each make up a total of forty deciduous or baby teeth; these erupt between 6 months and 2 years old. When all 40 deciduous or baby-teeth have been lost or extracted, another row—also made up of 20 top and bottom permanent-teeth—erupts in their place.
Understanding tooth numbering
The numbering system is essentially a map for dentists, so it doesn’t include letters. Rather, it uses numbers that correspond with locations on your teeth. The first number in each sequence indicates which quadrant of your mouth that tooth belongs to, while the second number indicates its position within that specific quadrant. Lower numbers indicate more posterior teeth, while higher numbers indicate more anterior teeth. If a tooth has more than one root, you’ll see a letter before its number; an M means it's a molar, an F means it's a premolar and an L signifies that it's an incisor.