third molar or more commonly called the "wisdom tooth."
Another method of describing the location of teeth is to refer to them as anterior or posterior teeth (fig. 4-15). Anterior teeth are those located in the front of the mouth, the incisors, and the cuspids. Normally, these are the teeth that are visible when a person smiles. The posterior teeth are those located in the back of the mouth-the bicuspids and molars.
To avoid confusion, you must identify a tooth as completely as possible. Give its full name: Central incisor (not incisor), second molar (not molar), etc. But even the full name of a tooth does not provide adequate identification because several teeth have the same name. Complete tooth identification requires that you identify:
the quadrant in which the tooth appears, and
Figure 4-15. - Standard dental chart; names and numbers of teeth.
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