Have you ever sat in the chair at the dentists, with your dentist looking inside your mouth and they start saying a series of numbers? You’re wondering, are these numbers good? Do I need high numbers or low ones? Are they just counting my teeth to make sure they’re all there?

The truth is that yes, they are counting your teeth, but they are also making sure they check every single one and make sure they’re up to scratch. Let’s take a deeper look inside your mouth and the meaning behind the mysterious numbers.

Adults have 32 teeth and dentists split your rows of teeth into four quadrants with 8 teeth in each section. Upper left, upper right, lower left and lower right. The teeth in those quadrants all have numbers. Starting with your central incisors (the ones right at the centre, in the middle) being number 1, then 2 then your canines are 3, pre-molars are 4 and 5 and so on to your third molar at the back of your mouth being number 8.

 The next number forms part of a ‘Periodontal Exam’. This is a key part of any dental check-up and involves your dentist or hygienist checking your gum health. Dentists look for signs of plaque build-up, inflammation, gum disease and any other indicators that more attention might be required. Starting at ‘0’, the condition of each tooth’s gums go up to ‘4’, with anything above a 2 becoming something that might require a bit more TLC. This could involve a deeper, more thorough clean, all the way up to using specialist intervention or even tooth extraction.

• 0 – Your gums are in good health
• 1 – Some plaque and tartar
• 2 – Plaque, tartar and bleeding gums
• 3 – Signs of gum disease
• 4 – Advanced gum disease and therapy required

Using this system dentists are able to quickly communicate to their team your gum health and the recommended courses of action. Our gums are responsible for so much, from holding teeth in place, to giving us vital information about how we are chewing our food and able to form words. Making sure that our gums are healthy and able to function properly can reduce pain, prolong our teeth’s overall health and prevent any major problems from occurring in the future.

So next time you visit the dentist, you can count along with them and head home with a smile, knowing that your mouth is on its way to feeling happy and healthy!