In order for dentists around the world not to get confused in each other's designations, a common system for counting teeth has long been invented. It is also important when changing the attending physician, so that the new specialist can immediately understand which ones have already been treated, and which ones the patient does not have at all (it may be like that). How to count teeth correctly in dentistry, future specialists are taught in universities, and this article will help ordinary patients figure it out.
Tooth appointment
The jaw of each person consists of certain segments with their own functions. They depend on the location of the dental unit and its size. For biting off food, the front incisors are intended, of which there are 2 pairs on each jaw.
They are located in the center and are visible even with the most modest smile. After them, fangs are located on the jaw. There are only 4 of them in the mouth, and they are designed to hold food and help in biting it. Next are the premolars, 2 on each side of the jaw, and the molars, 3 on each side. They are designed for chewing and grinding food. third molara wisdom tooth is considered, and since they grow in many people already at a fairly adult age, and in some people they have not grown at all recently, the presence of only two molars will be indicated in the dental chart.
Basic principle of numbering
The countdown always starts from the central incisors and goes both ways, regardless of how dentists count the teeth. Unit numbers are assigned according to their location in that order, and in some systems according to their functions. Each jaw at the same time has 2 rows of teeth directed to the left and right of the central incisors. Each row has 2 incisors, 1 canine, 2 premolars and 3 molars, numbered accordingly.
How do dentists count teeth by numbers? Thus, the first central incisor of each row is number 1. The second incisor is 2, the canine is 3, the premolars are respectively 4 and 5, and the molars are 6, 7 and 8. The last eighth is the wisdom tooth.
Row definition
According to the numbering described above, 4 rows of units have the same designations; it is possible to determine which of all the fifth teeth needs treatment only with additional clarification of a particular segment. For this, the rows are also indicated in Arabic numerals strictly clockwise relative to the dentist himself. That is, for the patient, the first row will be the upper right segment, the second row will be the upper left, the 3rd row will be the lower left and the last fourth row will be the lower right.
How to count correctly under such conditions? Each unit is designated by the first numberrow number and the second - the number of the tooth itself. So, the central lower left incisor is the 31st, and all units of the lower right segment are indicated by the number 40. Where do almost all the ambiguities in patients come from, because there are not so many teeth in the mouth.
This simple and visual diagram will help you easily master the counting system described above.
In children
The scheme of milk teeth must necessarily differ from that of an adult, because if the same person first treats milk teeth and then permanent ones with the same location, it will be difficult to fill out a dental record. To eliminate all ambiguities, the numbering is carried out according to the same principles, but completely different designations are assigned to the rows.
How to count children's teeth? The top right row is correctly denoted by the fifth ten. That is, the first incisor on it has the number 51, and so on. The top left row is numbered 6, the bottom left row is 7, and the bottom right row is 8. If the dentist is counting according to this system, then hearing that the child has caries on the 73rd, you do not need to imagine a mouth full of teeth.
In this case, we will talk about the lower left canine. As soon as children have permanent teeth, their numbering is no different from the adult scheme.
Convenience of the system
The method of counting described above is the most common and convenient, therefore, most often dentists count their teeth this way. How and when the order of units was invented,it is not necessary for everyone to know, but it has been used in dentistry for almost 50 years and is called the Viola two-digit scheme. To designate a tooth, it does not require any additional jaw map, the number can be calculated independently in the mind or transmitted in an oral conversation.
Of course, not all patients will now agree with the prevalence of the system, since some dentists use completely different designations, which are also generally accepted, studied by all specialists and can be applied by them in their own practice.
Counting systems
To understand how dentists count teeth in a particular clinic, it is worth understanding all common systems. In addition to two-digit, there are 4 more options:
- alphanumeric pattern;
- Haderupe system;
- square-digit system.
Each of them has separate designations for molars and milk teeth, but is convenient and simple in its own way, if you understand its principles.
Letter designation
This system was developed by the American Dental Association, so it is especially common in the USA. Of all the known options, the alphanumeric designation is considered the most complex and confusing, but if desired, an ordinary person can freely figure it out. The numbers of dental units themselves in the system are assigned taking into account not only their location, but also their meaning. The molars in this case are denoted by the letter M and their serial number from 1 to 3 (there are 3 molars in each row). At the same time, premolars wear numbers with the letters P, canines - C, and incisors -I. To determine the segment itself, in which the desired tooth is located, in addition to the serial number, a number with the designation of the row is placed after the letter. Thus, according to the Viola system, the lower left canine will be designated as the 33rd, and according to the American system as C22.
How do doctors count children's teeth using this system? At the same time, dairy products are indicated by lowercase letters, not capital letters; instead of a serial number, one more letter designation can be used from A to K clockwise.
Haderupe system
This counting principle is based on designating the units of the upper jaw with a “+” sign, and the lower jaw with a “-” sign. The numbering is standard, the upper incisors are designated as 1+. In this case, the lower third molars will be numbered 8-. It is interesting, but the designation of the segment in this case is not provided, and in order to understand which side the desired tooth is located on, you need to look at a special table.
To indicate the location of a milk tooth, 0 is added to its serial number, the upper incisor is already written as 01+.
Zigmondi-Palmer scheme
To understand how to count teeth by numbers, you also need to understand the oldest system of their designation. Most often it is used by orthodontists, maxillofacial surgeons. And the principle is that the indigenous ones are described by Arabic numerals, and the dairy ones by Roman ones. Each dental unit of an adult is assigned a number from 1 to 8, and a milk unit in children is assigned from I to V. The location of the row has noadditional symbols, and to determine exactly where the desired tooth is located, it is possible only with the help of a special jaw diagram.
The system is also called square-digital and, despite the complexity of notation and inconvenience, is still used in some clinics.
Exceptions to the rule
Infrequently, but still, certain developmental anomalies occur in people. So, you can meet a perfectly he althy person with six fingers on his hand or a non-standard number of dental units. How do dentists consider teeth in such cases? The use of standard schemes is impossible, and doctors have to completely abandon them. The number of teeth in this case is simply rewritten on a card indicating their location and purpose.
That is, the document clearly indicates which particular dental units are more - incisors or molars, how many of them and on which segment they are located. At the same time, anomalies in color, size, structure or shape do not affect the rejection of the standard scheme. Teeth indicate their location by assigned numbers. But their deviations from the norm are necessarily recorded in the medical document. If, under certain circumstances, the patient has lost a tooth, then the designation scheme is not abandoned, but simply indicates the absence of a specific unit in the segment. The presence of a prosthesis is indicated in a similar way.
Conclusion
It is definitely impossible to answer the question of how dentists correctly count teeth, since there are several types of generally accepted schemes that have beendescribed in the article. Each specialist has the right to use the system that is most convenient for him or that is taken as the main one in the clinic where he works, but at the same time, the dentist must know the features of each scheme. This is necessary for the competent filling of medical documentation and for other specialists to determine which teeth were treated.
Difficulties in self-identification of the number of people do not arise so often, as doctors try to explain to their patients exactly where the problem is, in an accessible language. If this does not happen or there is a desire to simply understand all the intricacies for yourself, from the article you can learn in detail all the features of each counting system. Being savvy in dental literacy will help build rapport between the client and the dentist, as it will allow you to more accurately determine the location of the troubling tooth. It will also be clearer to the patient what exactly the specialist is talking about, without additional explanations. In fact, the arrangement of dental units is simple, and everyone is able to understand them without outside help. The article describes in detail all the nuances of each of the schemes used in practice by dentists, so now you can easily familiarize yourself with all the terms and designations of your medical document.
