If you do not have a dental mouth mirror, then go to your nearest drug store and order one. If you are having trouble locating one, feel free to call me (my number is listed at the end of the book).
Looking at your teeth as a “lay professional” may be a new experience for you. Take the small mouth mirror and insert it into your mouth to reflect your back teeth. (Again, make sure the room is well lit.) View your teeth through the mouth mirror. Your teeth may not be as perfectly lined up as you thought. Check to see if you have all your molars. There should be twelve molars, including the wisdom teeth. Most people do not have room for their wisdom teeth. See where your gum line meets your teeth.
Now, get a notepad and keep all your dental notes in this book. After you have viewed your teeth with a mouth mirror, you will use the notebook to chart your teeth. Here’s how you should start:
Using a mouth mirror.
1. On the first page, write the motto “Save Your Smile.”
Date each page and make notations about your teeth.
2. On the second page, write the name of your dentist, his or her phone number and address, and the name of your dental hygienist.
3. After recording this information, write down the date of your last dental appointment, and then write down the date of your next appointment or the approximate date you are due for a repeat visit.
4. Next, take a clean piece of paper and start charting your teeth.
Right Left
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17
A dental chart used in a dental office.
5. On a side column list any spaces where teeth are missing. Try to evaluate how many teeth have been removed from these spaces.
6. Next, mark down the silver or white fillings that you can see, differentiating between both. To do this, place your mouth mirror around your teeth, then look at the chart and draw the outline of each filling on the chart. (You may want to photocopy the chart and mark up the photocopy instead.) Note that “Right” means teeth on the rightside of your mouth and “Left” means the leftside. For example, your lower right second molar is tooth #31. If this molar has a large surface filling, then take a pencil and make the same shape filling on tooth #31 on the left side of your dental chart. After you outline the shape of the filling on the chart, pencil it in if it is silver, but do not fill it in if it is a white filling.
This shows the difference between a silver filling and a white filling. It is important to differentiate between the two.
7. Elsewhere on the paper, mark any abnormalities that you may see on your cheeks or on the top of your tongue.
8. Also write down the color of your gums (e.g., pale/pink, pink, deep magenta). For example, if your gums are deep magenta around your upper front teeth, mark this down and try to specify which tooth or teeth. Write it like this: “magenta deep purple on upper right central tooth.”
9. Look at your gum line and try to draw what you see on paper. When a tooth looks long, it is most likely
due to recession or excessive shrinkage of your gums. If you see areas that seem to be loose and stretchy, then mark the tooth numbers down and write “loose and stretchy.” If you have areas with a receded gum line, then mark “gum recession” next to the tooth number. If the gums look like they are receding in a certain area, draw a line above the tooth area and write “receded gum area around upper right tooth #3.”
10. If your gums look puffy and irritated, mark down the tooth as best as you can (e.g., “tooth #4 has gum inflammation”).
11. Now floss your teeth, and if any areas are bleeding due to your flossing, mark down the approximate tooth or area. Smell the floss after flossing. If it has a harsh smell, then you may have excessive bacteria in that area. Mark the corresponding tooth on the chart. If your gums seem to be bleeding, even when you are not brushing and massaging them, chart this information as well. It is important to date all the information, especially when unusual conditions arise.
12. Mark down any crowns and bridges on your chart. A crown should look only slightly different from your natural tooth, and sometimes shows a line near the gum line. If the crown is made of gold, however, it is obviously easy to differentiate from your own tooth.
Let’s say you have a crown on your upper right sec- ond molar. You would circle tooth #7 on the left side of the dental chart with blue ink. If you have a crown and bridge, it is very probable that your gums are
loose and spongy in that area. Most crowns have a slight edge, and the gum tissue gets loose and stretchy around these restorations. If the gum bleeds in certain areas, look carefully and mark down the restoration that is sitting near that gum area. Bridges hold food and bacteria and usually create irritations because they are difficult to clean. If you have large silver or white fillings, it is also most probable that the gums are loose around these teeth.
13. If you believe that a tooth has a laminate on it, circle it on the chart and label it a laminate. To differentiate a laminate from a crown, look at the front and back of the tooth with your dental mouth mirror. If the back of your tooth looks like your natural tooth and the front looks shiny, then it is most likely a laminate.
14. An implant is a false tooth that screws into the jaw- bone. It replaces an entire tooth. If you remember what tooth is an implant, mark this on the chart.
15. If you have a partial denture (a denture that attaches to your existing teeth), chart it by drawing teeth in the place of the missing teeth with a blue pen. If you have a denture, mark the “missing teeth” and then make a circle where the denture is replacing your own teeth.
16. Make additional notes about abnormalities, such as teeth that seem to be loose. Note those areas where teeth seem to be loose. If a tooth is on its side or slightly bending, make note of this. If teeth seem to be discolored, mark this down over the tooth number.
17. Note teeth that are higher or lower than the other teeth surrounding them. Teeth can extrude or recede if they are not opposed by another tooth. Gravity
will move these teeth out of position. This happens if only one of your wisdom teeth is pulled.
18. Don’t forget to chart the inside of your teeth. The gum line on the inside of your teeth is equally as important as the gum line on the outside. Look at the chart and you will notice that your teeth have a front and inside view. Draw the outside gum line and then draw the inside gum line in red ink.
You have just completed your first chart.