Dental Terminology and Charting

Maxillary

Upper jaw

Mandibular

Lower jaw

Anterior

front teeth

Posterior

back teeth

Incisors

First four anterior teeth that are used for cutting

Central incisors

Middle two teeth

Lateral incisors

Two outer incisors teeth

Premolars

The teeth immediately behind the canines; used in chewing, grinding, and shearing food. Two in adult teeth and none in baby teeth

Molars

Back teeth that grind food; three teeth in adult and two in baby

Third molar

wisdom teeth

Where is the first premolar

first one closest to the canine

Universal numbering system

Start on the right upperhand side of the mouth in the first quadrant. Start with the third molar (wisdom tooth) and move towards the left hand side down to the lower left quadrant and to the right.

Eruption

teeth coming in

Exfoliation

teeth falling out

Facial

Front teeth closest to your face. Show when you smile

Labial

pertaining to the incisors and canines

Buccal

Side of the tooth closest to your cheek

Palatal

Side of the tooth closest to your palate on the maxillary arch

Lingual

Side of the tooth closest to the tongue on the mandibular arch

Mesial

Surface of the tooth toward the midline

Distal

surface of the tooth away from the midline

Occlusal

Chewing surface of posterior teeth

Incisal

Biting edge of anterior teeth

Enamal

hard calcium, rich surface of each tooth

Dentin

makes up bulk of the roots, softer and yellower because of the organic material

Pulp

soft tissue inside tooth, contains nerves and blood vessels

Pulp chamber

part of crown

Pulp canal

Part that occupies root

Gums

pink tissue surrounding tooth

Cementum

thin, hard tissue that covers the root of each tooth

Periodontal ligament

Between cementum and bone, connects tooth to alveolar bone

Tooth decay

Result of germs in our mouth that feed on sugard to produce acid. Melt away mineral content of enamel. Can cause big holes and cavities

Caries

loss of mineral in tooth due to byproducts of bacteria

Plaque

Collection of bacteria on tooth surface

Inflammation

Angers gum tissue, red, swollen

Gingivitis

-REVERSIBLE inflammation of the gingiva

-Directly related to plaque accumulation

Peridontitis

Irreversible, more severe infection of gums

Involves gingival inflammation

MO

Mesial occlusal

RCT

root canal treatment

EXT

extraction- removing a tooth

AM/AMAL

amalgam treatment

MOD

mesial occlusal distal