Teeth by Numbers

Have you ever noticed when your dentist or hygienist examines your teeth that a lot of numbers seem to fly around?

That’s because Dentists use a variety of numbering systems to identify teeth in our mouth. Today, the F.D.I. (Federation Dentaire International) system is being increasingly adopted worldwide.

In this system, the permanent teeth are given two numbers, the first number indicating the quadrant and the second number identifying each tooth in the quadrant.

So, the Patient’s upper right quadrant of the mouth is referred to as 1, then each tooth in this quadrant is numbered from 1 to 8, moving from the incisors back to the molars.

The quadrant numbers are

Upper Right – 1 Upper Left – 2

Lower Right – 4 Lower Left – 3

Remember, it’s the patient’s left or right, not the dentists!