Adults have 16 teeth on top. This count includes all the teeth in your upper jaw, from one wisdom tooth on the far right all the way around to the wisdom tooth on the far left. The bottom jaw mirrors this with another 16, bringing the full adult set to 32.
The Four Types of Upper Teeth
Those 16 upper teeth break down into four distinct types, each shaped for a specific job.
- Incisors (4): The four flat front teeth, two central and two lateral. These are your biting and cutting teeth.
- Canines (2): One on each side, just next to the lateral incisors. These are the pointed teeth you use to tear food.
- Premolars (4): Two on each side, sitting between the canines and molars. They have a flatter surface for crushing and grinding.
- Molars (6): Three on each side at the very back, including your wisdom teeth. These are your largest, strongest grinding teeth.
How Dentists Number Your Upper Teeth
In the numbering system used by American dentists, the upper teeth are numbered 1 through 16. The count starts at the upper right wisdom tooth (tooth 1) and moves across the arch to the upper left wisdom tooth (tooth 16). So your two front teeth are numbers 8 and 9, your upper canines are 6 and 11, and your wisdom teeth are 1 and 16. When your dentist says something like “you have a cavity on number 14,” they’re talking about your upper left first molar.
When Upper Teeth Come In
Your permanent upper teeth don’t all arrive at once. The first molars are actually the earliest, typically emerging between ages 5 and 7. The central incisors follow around ages 7 to 8, with the lateral incisors close behind at 8 to 9.
There’s then a gap before the next wave. The first premolars come in around ages 10 to 11, followed by the canines and second premolars at 11 to 12. The second molars appear around 12 to 13. Wisdom teeth, if they come in at all, typically emerge between ages 17 and 21.
Why You Might Have Fewer Than 16
Plenty of adults don’t actually have all 16 upper teeth. Wisdom teeth are the most obvious reason. Many people have their wisdom teeth removed, and some never develop them in the first place. Beyond wisdom teeth, roughly 3 to 10% of the population is born missing at least one permanent tooth. That works out to about one in every 10 to 12 people.
The upper lateral incisors, the teeth right next to your two front teeth, are among the most commonly missing. If you’ve ever noticed someone with a slightly wider gap between their front teeth and canines, this could be why. Lower second premolars are actually the single most commonly absent tooth, but upper lateral incisors come in second. Women are affected slightly more often than men, at roughly a 3:2 ratio.
Tooth loss from decay, gum disease, or injury also reduces the count for many adults. By middle age, it’s common to be missing one or more teeth from the upper arch.
Children Have Fewer Upper Teeth
Kids have only 10 teeth on top as part of their 20 primary (baby) teeth. The baby set doesn’t include premolars or wisdom teeth. Those 10 consist of four incisors, two canines, and four baby molars. These start falling out around age 6 as the permanent teeth push through, and the transition from baby teeth to the full adult set of 16 upper teeth is usually complete by the early teen years, not counting wisdom teeth.