What is the number for each tooth?

In the Universal Numbering System used across the United States, permanent teeth are numbered 1 to 32. Number 1 is the upper right wisdom tooth; the count runs across the top to 16 at the upper left wisdom tooth, drops to 17 at the lower left wisdom tooth, and runs back along the bottom to 32 at the lower right wisdom tooth. So tooth 8 and 9 are your two upper front teeth, and 24 and 25 are the two lower front teeth. Baby teeth use letters A through T on the same path.

Which side is left and right on a teeth number chart?

A dental chart is drawn from the dentist’s point of view, facing you. That means the left-hand side of the chart is your right side, and the right-hand side of the chart is your left. It is the single most common misreading of a tooth chart — if your treatment plan says tooth 3 and you are looking in a mirror, that tooth is on the right side of your own mouth, appearing on the left of the diagram.

What is tooth number 19?

Tooth 19 is the lower left first molar — FDI code 36, Palmer notation LL6. It is one of the most frequently treated teeth in the mouth because it erupts around age six and takes the heaviest chewing load. A root canal on it runs $1,000–$1,800 and almost always needs a crown ($800–$2,500) afterwards.

Why does my dentist use different tooth numbers than my X-ray report?

Because there are three systems in use. The Universal system (1–32) is standard in U.S. general practice. FDI/ISO two-digit codes (like 36) are the international standard and appear on imaging software and in research. Palmer notation (like LL6) is common in UK training and in orthodontics. They describe the same teeth — this chart shows all three for every tooth so you can translate between them.

How many teeth do adults and children have?

Adults have 32 permanent teeth including four wisdom teeth, though many people have some or all wisdom teeth removed, leaving 28. Children have 20 primary (baby) teeth, lettered A through T, which are gradually replaced between roughly ages 6 and 12.

Teeth Numbers Chart: Interactive Tooth Number Diagram (2026)

Click any tooth to see its number in all three systems, where it sits in your mouth, and what the common treatments on that specific tooth cost.

How the Universal Numbering System works

The United States uses the Universal Numbering System, adopted by the American Dental Association. Every permanent tooth gets a number from 1 to 32 along a single path around the mouth:

1–16 — the upper arch, starting at the upper right wisdom tooth (1) and ending at the upper left wisdom tooth (16).
17–32 — the lower arch, starting at the lower left wisdom tooth (17) and ending at the lower right wisdom tooth (32).

So the numbering runs clockwise from the point of view of someone facing you. Your four upper front teeth are 7, 8, 9 and 10; your four lower front teeth are 23, 24, 25 and 26. Baby teeth follow exactly the same path but use the letters A to T.

Left and right: the mistake almost everyone makes

A dental chart is drawn from the dentist's perspective, facing you — so the left side of the diagram is your right side. If your treatment plan lists tooth 3, that is your upper right first molar, even though it sits on the left of the chart. This is why a tooth number, not a description like "the back one on the left", is what appears on paperwork: the number is unambiguous no matter who is looking.

The three numbering systems, compared

System	Looks like	Where you'll meet it
Universal	1 – 32, A – T	U.S. general practice, insurance claims, treatment plans
FDI / ISO 3950	Two digits, e.g. 36	The international standard — imaging software, research, most of the world outside the U.S.
Palmer	Quadrant + number, e.g. LL6	UK-trained dentists and orthodontics

In FDI codes the first digit is the quadrant — 1 upper right, 2 upper left, 3 lower left, 4 lower right for adult teeth, and 5 to 8 in the same order for baby teeth. The second digit counts outward from the middle. Once you know that, 36 decodes on sight: quadrant 3 (lower left), sixth tooth from the midline — the first molar, Universal 19.

Every tooth, every number

The full reference table. Sortable at a glance, and printable — the chart above and this table are the only things that appear when you print this page.

Adult teeth (permanent, 1–32)

Universal	FDI	Palmer	Tooth
1	18	UR8	Upper right third molar (wisdom tooth)
2	17	UR7	Upper right second molar
3	16	UR6	Upper right first molar
4	15	UR5	Upper right second premolar
5	14	UR4	Upper right first premolar
6	13	UR3	Upper right canine
7	12	UR2	Upper right lateral incisor
8	11	UR1	Upper right central incisor
9	21	UL1	Upper left central incisor
10	22	UL2	Upper left lateral incisor
11	23	UL3	Upper left canine
12	24	UL4	Upper left first premolar
13	25	UL5	Upper left second premolar
14	26	UL6	Upper left first molar
15	27	UL7	Upper left second molar
16	28	UL8	Upper left third molar (wisdom tooth)
17	38	LL8	Lower left third molar (wisdom tooth)
18	37	LL7	Lower left second molar
19	36	LL6	Lower left first molar
20	35	LL5	Lower left second premolar
21	34	LL4	Lower left first premolar
22	33	LL3	Lower left canine
23	32	LL2	Lower left lateral incisor
24	31	LL1	Lower left central incisor
25	41	LR1	Lower right central incisor
26	42	LR2	Lower right lateral incisor
27	43	LR3	Lower right canine
28	44	LR4	Lower right first premolar
29	45	LR5	Lower right second premolar
30	46	LR6	Lower right first molar
31	47	LR7	Lower right second molar
32	48	LR8	Lower right third molar (wisdom tooth)

Baby teeth (primary, A–T)

Universal	FDI	Palmer	Tooth
A	55	URE	Upper right second molar (baby tooth)
B	54	URD	Upper right first molar (baby tooth)
C	53	URC	Upper right canine (baby tooth)
D	52	URB	Upper right lateral incisor (baby tooth)
E	51	URA	Upper right central incisor (baby tooth)
F	61	ULA	Upper left central incisor (baby tooth)
G	62	ULB	Upper left lateral incisor (baby tooth)
H	63	ULC	Upper left canine (baby tooth)
I	64	ULD	Upper left first molar (baby tooth)
J	65	ULE	Upper left second molar (baby tooth)
K	75	LLE	Lower left second molar (baby tooth)
L	74	LLD	Lower left first molar (baby tooth)
M	73	LLC	Lower left canine (baby tooth)
N	72	LLB	Lower left lateral incisor (baby tooth)
O	71	LLA	Lower left central incisor (baby tooth)
P	81	LRA	Lower right central incisor (baby tooth)
Q	82	LRB	Lower right lateral incisor (baby tooth)
R	83	LRC	Lower right canine (baby tooth)
S	84	LRD	Lower right first molar (baby tooth)
T	85	LRE	Lower right second molar (baby tooth)

Why the tooth number changes the price

Tooth numbers are not just bookkeeping — they predict cost. The further back a tooth sits, the more roots and canals it has and the harder it is to reach, so the same named procedure costs more. A root canal on a front tooth (7–10, 23–26) runs $700–$1,100; on a molar it is $1,000–$1,800, and it will almost certainly need a crown on top. Extractions follow the same logic: a simple front-tooth pull is $75–$300, while a back tooth more often needs a surgical extraction at $180–$700.

This is also why "how much is a root canal?" has no single answer, and why a quote is only comparable between practices once you know which tooth it is for. When you collect quotes, give every office the tooth number.

Teeth numbers chart