Page 19 - Amazing Smiles

figure 7 Factors that Determine How Your Smile Looks

Although all teeth are assigned numbers,
they are more commonly refered to by their
names (figure 7). These names are used by
patients and dentists to discuss how they look in
the mouth. For more accurate descriptions of
teeth, a location name is used before the name of
the tooth is given. For example, when referring to
the arch in which teeth are found, the maxilla or
mandible terms are used. The first location name
is followed by a descriptive second name. The
descriptive second name relates to its function in
the mouth. The names of the front four teeth are
called incisors, so these incisors are referred to as
the maxillary and mandibular incisors. The function
of the incisors is to tear, penetrate and incise food
in the mouth. Incisors are arranged in groups of
four. They are the central incisors and the lateral
incisors. On each side of the incisors are the
canines, (also called cuspids).

After the anterior teeth, (consisting of incisors
and canines) are the posterior teeth known as the
first bicuspids, second bicuspids, first molars,
second molars and third molars (wisdom teeth).
As teeth are discussed and described you can see
how complex yet accurate this teminology may
appear. For example, tooth number 14 is
described as the left maxillary first molar. Tooth
number twenty-five is the right mandibular central
incisor.

This may sound confusing in the beginning,
but once the numbers and names become familiar
the whole oral system will make perfect sense.

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