Educational Handouts
| We have many educational handouts available in our office. These are now available from this web site! |
"Never be afraid to sit awhile and think"
- Lorraine Hansberry
- Lorraine Hansberry
HEALTH INTER-RELATIONSHIPS
PREVENTIVE & SUPPORTIVE
DENTAL TREATMENT & MATERIALS
"Mercury vapor being emitted from an old amalgam
filling after being dipped in body temperature water"
filling after being dipped in body temperature water"
Silver (Amalgam) fillings
Gold inlays
Composite filling
All Porcelain crown
All Gold alloy crown
Three Tooth Bridge
Acrylic full dentures
Acrylic & Chrome Cobalt partial denture
Bilateral nylon partial denture
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Basic Tooth Terminology
Adults normally have 32 teeth. Sometimes people have naturally occurring missing teeth or extra teeth.
WISDOM teeth (a.k.a. 3rd molar) are the furthest back molar teeth (1, 16, 17, 32), and are often completely or partially hidden
in the gum and bone. That means people usually have 28 "functional" teeth.
MOLAR teeth are the large back teeth. There are 2 molars in each quadrant (1/4th) of your mouth for a total of 8 "functional"
molars. The 2nd molar (a.k.a. 12-year molar) is the furthest back molar of the "functional" molars (#2, 15, 18, 31). The 1st
molar (a.k.a. 6-year molar) is in front of the 2nd molar (#3, 14, 19, 30).
BICUSPID teeth (a.k.a. premolar) are the 2 teeth in front of the molars. They are smaller than molars. There are 2 bicuspids
in each quadrant of your mouth for a total of 8 bicuspids. The 2nd bicuspid (#4, 13, 20, 29) is the furthest back of the
bicuspids. The 1st bicuspids are #5, 12, 21, 28. If you have had conventional orthodontic treatment and teeth were
extracted, likely one bicuspid was extracted in each quadrant.
CUSPID teeth (a.k.a. canine, eye tooth, #6, 11, 22, 27) teeth are in front of the bicuspids. There is 1 in each quadrant for a
total of 4 cuspids. These are the pointed long teeth that are usually quite long and sharp in vampires.
LATERAL INCISOR teeth (#7, 10, 23, 26) are next to the cuspids. There is 1 in each quadrant for a total of 4 lateral incisors.
They are smaller than central incisors, but similar in shape.
CENTRAL INCISOR teeth (a.k.a. front tooth, #8, 9, 24, 25) are next to the lateral incisors. There is 1 in each quadrant for a
total of 4 central incisors. They are your “two front teeth” that you wanted for Christmas as a child.
The MIDLINE is the dividing line between the right and left sides of your mouth and defines the 4 quadrants of your mouth
(upper right, upper left, lower left, lower right). It “separates” the central incisors.
Okay, so when communicating with a dental professional, you can eliminate confusion while impressing them by first stating
the quadrant, then the tooth. For example, “my upper left 1st molar is cracked!” Or you could be daring and state the tooth
number, which is shown on the tooth chart. Counting always starts from the upper right wisdom tooth (#1) then continues to
the upper left wisdom tooth (#16) then drops down to the lower left wisdom tooth (#17) and ends on the lower right wisdom
tooth (#32). When counting, count the missing or fake teeth too. For example, if you are missing wisdom teeth, the furthest
visible back tooth on your upper right is tooth #2, and your upper front tooth on your left is tooth #9 (even if the central incisor
next to it was knocked out with a hockey puck in high school).
Congratulations, you have now completed a basic course in dental anatomy.
Adults normally have 32 teeth. Sometimes people have naturally occurring missing teeth or extra teeth.
WISDOM teeth (a.k.a. 3rd molar) are the furthest back molar teeth (1, 16, 17, 32), and are often completely or partially hidden
in the gum and bone. That means people usually have 28 "functional" teeth.
MOLAR teeth are the large back teeth. There are 2 molars in each quadrant (1/4th) of your mouth for a total of 8 "functional"
molars. The 2nd molar (a.k.a. 12-year molar) is the furthest back molar of the "functional" molars (#2, 15, 18, 31). The 1st
molar (a.k.a. 6-year molar) is in front of the 2nd molar (#3, 14, 19, 30).
BICUSPID teeth (a.k.a. premolar) are the 2 teeth in front of the molars. They are smaller than molars. There are 2 bicuspids
in each quadrant of your mouth for a total of 8 bicuspids. The 2nd bicuspid (#4, 13, 20, 29) is the furthest back of the
bicuspids. The 1st bicuspids are #5, 12, 21, 28. If you have had conventional orthodontic treatment and teeth were
extracted, likely one bicuspid was extracted in each quadrant.
CUSPID teeth (a.k.a. canine, eye tooth, #6, 11, 22, 27) teeth are in front of the bicuspids. There is 1 in each quadrant for a
total of 4 cuspids. These are the pointed long teeth that are usually quite long and sharp in vampires.
LATERAL INCISOR teeth (#7, 10, 23, 26) are next to the cuspids. There is 1 in each quadrant for a total of 4 lateral incisors.
They are smaller than central incisors, but similar in shape.
CENTRAL INCISOR teeth (a.k.a. front tooth, #8, 9, 24, 25) are next to the lateral incisors. There is 1 in each quadrant for a
total of 4 central incisors. They are your “two front teeth” that you wanted for Christmas as a child.
The MIDLINE is the dividing line between the right and left sides of your mouth and defines the 4 quadrants of your mouth
(upper right, upper left, lower left, lower right). It “separates” the central incisors.
Okay, so when communicating with a dental professional, you can eliminate confusion while impressing them by first stating
the quadrant, then the tooth. For example, “my upper left 1st molar is cracked!” Or you could be daring and state the tooth
number, which is shown on the tooth chart. Counting always starts from the upper right wisdom tooth (#1) then continues to
the upper left wisdom tooth (#16) then drops down to the lower left wisdom tooth (#17) and ends on the lower right wisdom
tooth (#32). When counting, count the missing or fake teeth too. For example, if you are missing wisdom teeth, the furthest
visible back tooth on your upper right is tooth #2, and your upper front tooth on your left is tooth #9 (even if the central incisor
next to it was knocked out with a hockey puck in high school).
Congratulations, you have now completed a basic course in dental anatomy.
R
L
"He who knows all the answers . . . has not yet been asked all the questions."
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
Maryland style bridge
Unilateral nylon partial denture
Titanium tooth implant
