Glossary of charting terms

Fillings

Amalgam Am

A silver coloured filling made from an alloy of silver, tin and copper mixed with mercury. On a paper chart an existing amalgam is usually filled in solid on the surfaces it covers. Some operators call it alloy. Also said: alloy.

Composite Comp

A tooth coloured filling of resin with a glass or ceramic filler, bonded to the tooth. It is used on front and back teeth. Many charts outline a composite rather than fill it solid, so it can be told apart from amalgam at a glance. Also said: resin.

Glass ionomer GI

A tooth coloured material that bonds chemically to the tooth and releases fluoride. It is common at the gumline, on root surfaces and in primary teeth. Also said: GI.

Gold inlay or onlay Au inlay

A cast gold restoration made outside the mouth and cemented into a prepared tooth. An inlay sits within the cusps; an onlay covers one or more of them. The chemical symbol Au is the usual shorthand for gold. Also said: gold inlay, gold onlay.

Temporary filling Temp

An interim filling placed to seal a tooth until the final restoration. It is expected to be replaced, so some offices chart it in the treatment colour. Also said: temp.

Decay

Caries Car

Tooth decay: a lesion that needs treatment, charted in red on the surfaces involved. Operators say caries or decay interchangeably. Also said: decay.

Recurrent caries Rec car

Decay at the margin of an existing restoration. It is charted in red on the surfaces where it is found, because the restoration will need to be replaced. Also said: recurrent decay.

Crowns

Porcelain fused to metal crown PFM

A full coverage crown with a metal substructure and a porcelain outer layer. It is charted by outlining the crown of the tooth. Also said: PFM crown.

Full gold crown FGC

A full coverage crown cast entirely in gold alloy, usually on a molar where it is not seen. Also said: gold crown.

All ceramic crown Cer

A full coverage crown with no metal, made of porcelain, lithium disilicate or zirconia. Offices differ on whether they chart the specific ceramic; ChartCall groups them. Also said: ceramic crown, zirconia crown.

Stainless steel crown SSC

A preformed metal crown, most often placed on a primary molar after a pulpotomy or extensive decay, and sometimes as an interim crown on a permanent molar. Also said: SSC.

Whole tooth

Missing X

The tooth is not present. It is charted with a large X through the whole tooth. A tooth that is present but needs to come out is charted as extraction indicated instead.

Extraction indicated Ext

The tooth is present and is planned to be removed. It is charted in red, often with two parallel lines through the tooth, so it is not confused with a tooth that is already missing. Also said: extraction, to be extracted.

Root canal treatment RCT

Endodontic treatment: the pulp has been removed and the canals filled. It is charted as a line drawn through each root. It is usually followed by a crown on a back tooth, which is charted as its own finding. Also said: root canal, RCT, endo.

Implant Imp

A titanium or zirconia post placed in the bone in place of a lost tooth, restored with a crown. It is charted with horizontal lines through the root, like the threads of a screw.

Sealant S

A thin resin coating flowed into the pits and fissures of a back tooth to keep decay out. It is charted with an S on the biting surface. Sealants go on premolars and molars, not on front teeth.

Watch W

An area the dentist wants to monitor at the next visit rather than treat now, such as an early lesion or a stained groove. It is charted with a W. Also said: monitor.

Bridge pontic Pontic

The false tooth in a fixed bridge, suspended between the crowned teeth on either side, which are called abutments. The missing root is crossed out and the crown is outlined and joined to its neighbours. Also said: pontic.

Pulpotomy Pulp

Removal of the pulp in the crown of a primary tooth, leaving the root pulp in place. It is charted in the pulp chamber and is usually followed by a stainless steel crown.

Fractured tooth Fx

A crack or break in the tooth. It is charted in red, usually as a zigzag line across the crown, and the dentist will say where it runs if it matters. Also said: fractured, fracture.

Surfaces

Mesial M

The side of the tooth facing the midline of the arch, toward the front centre of the mouth.

Occlusal O

The chewing surface of a premolar or molar. It is called the incisal edge on a front tooth.

Incisal I

The biting edge of an incisor or canine. It takes the place of the occlusal surface on a front tooth.

Distal D

The side of the tooth facing away from the midline, toward the back of the mouth.

Buccal B

The cheek side of a premolar or molar. On a front tooth the same side is called facial or labial.

Facial F

The lip side of an incisor or canine. Some charts use F for the outer surface of every tooth.

Lingual L

The tongue side of the tooth. On upper teeth some charts call it palatal and write P.

Labial La

The lip side of an incisor or canine on a dog or cat chart, where a human chart would say facial. On the cheek teeth the same side is buccal.

Palatal P

The palate side of an upper tooth. Veterinary charts use palatal for every upper tooth and lingual only for the lower jaw.

Charting terms

Universal numbering

The system used in the United States. Permanent teeth are numbered 1 to 32, starting at the upper right third molar, running across the upper arch to the upper left, then back along the lower arch from the lower left third molar to the lower right. Primary teeth are lettered A to T in the same path.

FDI two digit numbering FDI

The international system. The first digit is the quadrant (1 upper right, 2 upper left, 3 lower left, 4 lower right, and 5 to 8 for primary teeth in the same order) and the second digit counts back from the midline. Universal 3 is FDI 16, and it is read one six, not sixteen.

Quadrant UR, UL, LL, LR

A quarter of the mouth: upper right, upper left, lower left or lower right. Right and left are always the patient's, which is why the patient's right side appears on the left of a chart.

Maxillary and mandibular arch Max, Mand

The upper arch (maxillary) and the lower arch (mandibular). Teeth 1 to 16 are maxillary and 17 to 32 mandibular.

Odontogram

A diagram of every tooth used to record findings. ChartCall's odontogram draws each tooth twice: an outline for whole tooth findings such as a crown or a missing tooth, and a five part box for surface findings.

Existing and treatment colours

Many offices chart work already in the mouth in blue or black and work that is needed in red. ChartCall uses blue for existing work and red for decay, extractions, fractures and areas to watch, and never relies on colour alone: every mark also has its own shape.

Combined surfaces MO, DO, MOD

A filling that covers more than one surface is one restoration, charted once with all of its surfaces. The letters are written mesial first and distal last when both are present, so a filling across the mesial, occlusal and distal surfaces is MOD, and one across the distal and occlusal is DO. Also said: mesio occlusal, disto occlusal, mesio occluso distal.

Cavity classes Class I to VI

A long standing way of grouping fillings by where they sit: class I in pits and grooves, class II on the sides of back teeth, class III on the sides of front teeth, class IV on the side of a front tooth when the incisal angle is involved, class V at the gumline, and class VI on cusp tips and incisal edges. A dentist may call a class instead of the surfaces.

Abutment Abut

A tooth or implant that supports a bridge. The abutment teeth are crowned, and each crown is charted as its own finding on either side of the pontic.

Primary dentition

The twenty baby teeth, lettered A to T. A child between about six and twelve has a mixed dentition, with some primary and some permanent teeth, and each is charted in its own system.

Operator

The dentist or hygienist examining the mouth and calling findings aloud while the assistant or a second clinician records them.

Universal and FDI numbering

Every tooth in both systems, in charting order. Right and left are the patient's. The drills can label the odontogram and speak the callouts in either system.

Veterinary charting: dogs and cats

The canine and feline charts use their own findings, called during a COHAT and numbered in modified Triadan. Grades are charted as a value on a scale, so mobility 1 for mobility 2 is marked as a wrong grade. Abbreviations vary between clinics and teaching programs; where yours differ, follow them.

Periodontal

Mobility 1 MOB1

Grade 1 mobility: the tooth moves a little more than a healthy tooth, up to about half a millimetre, when the crown is pushed with an instrument. Healthy teeth move very slightly because the ligament around the root gives. Also said: mobility grade 1, MOB 1.

Mobility 2 MOB2

Grade 2 mobility: the tooth moves between about half a millimetre and one millimetre sideways when pushed. It usually means a real loss of the bone and ligament that hold the root. Also said: mobility grade 2, MOB 2.

Mobility 3 MOB3

Grade 3 mobility: the tooth moves more than a millimetre in any direction, or moves up and down in its socket. A grade 3 tooth has lost most of its support and is usually extracted. Also said: mobility grade 3, MOB 3.

Furcation 1 F1

Grade 1 furcation: on a tooth with two or more roots, a probe dips into the space between the roots, but by less than half the width of the tooth. Also said: furcation grade 1, F 1.

Furcation 2 F2

Grade 2 furcation: the probe passes more than halfway under the crown between the roots, but does not come out on the other side. Also said: furcation grade 2, F 2.

Furcation 3 F3

Grade 3 furcation: the probe passes right through between the roots, from the cheek side to the tongue or palate side. The bone between the roots is gone. Also said: furcation grade 3, F 3.

Calculus index 1 CI1

Calculus index 1: hardened tartar covers less than about a third of the crown on the cheek side. It is scored per tooth before scaling. Also said: calculus 1, CI 1.

Calculus index 2 CI2

Calculus index 2: tartar covers between about a third and two thirds of the crown on the cheek side, and may reach a little under the gum. Also said: calculus 2, CI 2.

Calculus index 3 CI3

Calculus index 3: tartar covers more than about two thirds of the crown on the cheek side, often reaching well under the gum line. Also said: calculus 3, CI 3.

Gingival index 1 GI1

Gingival index 1, mild gingivitis: the gum edge is slightly red and swollen but does not bleed when gently probed. Also said: gingivitis 1, GI 1.

Gingival index 2 GI2

Gingival index 2, moderate gingivitis: the gum is red and swollen and bleeds when gently probed. Also said: gingivitis 2, GI 2.

Gingival index 3 GI3

Gingival index 3, severe gingivitis: the gum is very red and swollen, may be ulcerated, and bleeds on its own or at a touch. Also said: gingivitis 3, GI 3.

Gingival recession GR

The gum edge has moved down the tooth toward the root tip, exposing root surface. It is measured in millimetres from the enamel edge to the gum on each surface where it is seen; the drill asks only which surfaces. Also said: recession, GR.

Fractures and wear

Complicated crown fracture CCF

A break through the enamel and dentin that opens the pulp chamber, often seen as a pink or dark spot on the broken surface. The pulp is exposed to the mouth, so the tooth needs root canal treatment or extraction. Also said: fractured, pulp exposed, CCF.

Uncomplicated crown fracture UCF

A break through the enamel and into the dentin that does not open the pulp. The tooth is radiographed to check the pulp is still healthy, and the exposed dentin may be sealed. Also said: fractured, no pulp exposure, UCF.

Worn tooth AT or AB

Tooth substance lost to wear. Attrition is wear from tooth against tooth; abrasion is wear from something else, such as tennis balls, cage bars or chewing on hard objects. Both are charted as a worn tooth here. Also said: worn, attrition, abrasion.

Caries CA

Decay of the tooth from bacterial acid. It is uncommon in dogs and rare in cats, and is found mostly on the flat grinding surfaces of a dog's upper molars. It is charted on the surfaces involved. Also said: carious lesion, CA.

Discoloured tooth DT

A tooth stained from inside, pink, purple, grey or brown, usually after a blow that bruised the pulp. Most intrinsically discoloured teeth are no longer vital, so they are radiographed and usually treated. Also said: discoloured, intrinsic stain.

Enamel hypoplasia EH

Thin, pitted or missing enamel left by an illness, fever or injury while the tooth was forming, before it erupted. Several teeth formed at the same time are often affected together. Also said: EH.

Tooth resorption

Tooth resorption stage 1 TR1

Tooth resorption stage 1: a shallow loss of hard tissue, in the cementum or the cementum and enamel only. Stages are confirmed on a dental radiograph. Also said: resorption stage 1, TR 1.

Tooth resorption stage 2 TR2

Tooth resorption stage 2: the loss reaches into the dentin but not into the pulp cavity. Also said: resorption stage 2, TR 2.

Tooth resorption stage 3 TR3

Tooth resorption stage 3: the loss reaches the pulp cavity, but most of the tooth is still intact. Also said: resorption stage 3, TR 3.

Tooth resorption stage 4 TR4

Tooth resorption stage 4: the loss reaches the pulp cavity and most of the tooth has lost its integrity. The crown may be partly gone. Also said: resorption stage 4, TR 4.

Tooth resorption stage 5 TR5

Tooth resorption stage 5: only faint remnants of the tooth are visible on a radiograph, and the gum has closed over where the crown was. Also said: resorption stage 5, TR 5.

Missing and extracted

Missing tooth O

The tooth is not there and was not taken out at this visit. It is often charted by circling the tooth. A radiograph decides whether it is truly absent, unerupted, or a root left behind under the gum. Also said: missing, absent.

Extracted X

The tooth was removed during this procedure. It is charted with an X through the tooth, and it is often called after the finding that led to it, such as grade 3 mobility. Also said: extraction.

Retained root RTR

The crown is gone but part of the root is still in the jaw, after an old fracture or an extraction that broke. It is found on a radiograph and is usually removed. Also said: root remnant, RTR.

Development

Retained deciduous tooth RD

A baby tooth still in place when the adult tooth that replaces it has come in or should have. It is common with the canines of small breed dogs. It is charted on the deciduous number, 504 and not 104, and is usually extracted. Also said: retained, persistent deciduous, retained deciduous.

Supernumerary tooth SN

An extra tooth beyond the normal count for the species, most often an incisor or a premolar. It has no Triadan number of its own, so it is charted at the tooth it duplicates. Also said: supernumerary, extra tooth, SN.

Treatment

Prosthetic crown CR

A cemented cap, usually metal, over a tooth that has had root canal treatment, most often a working dog's canine or carnassial. It is charted by outlining the crown. Also said: crown, metal crown.

Composite restoration R

A tooth coloured filling bonded to the tooth, used to seal an access hole after root canal treatment, to cover exposed dentin after a fracture, or to fill a carious lesion. It is charted on the surfaces it covers. Also said: restoration, filling.

Root canal treatment RCT

The pulp has been removed and the canal cleaned and filled, keeping a fractured or non vital tooth in place instead of extracting it. It is charted with a line through the root. Also said: root canal, RCT, endo.

Veterinary terms

Modified Triadan numbering

The three digit system used for dogs, cats and other animals. The first digit is the quadrant: 1 right upper, 2 left upper, 3 left lower, 4 right lower, and 5 to 8 for deciduous teeth in the same order. The last two digits count back from the midline, so 104 is the right upper canine and 309 the left lower first molar.

Rule of 4 and 9

In every species charted with Triadan numbers the canine tooth is always position 04 and the first molar always 09. Positions a species lacks are skipped rather than renumbered, which is why a cat has no 105 or 305 and its lower premolars are 307 and 308.

Saying a Triadan number

The number is said as the quadrant and then the position: 104 is one oh four, 309 is three oh nine, 110 is one ten and 411 is four eleven. Some clinicians name the tooth instead, such as right maxillary canine for 104.

COHAT COHAT

Comprehensive oral health assessment and treatment: the examination, probing, charting, radiographs, cleaning and any extractions done while the animal is under general anaesthesia. The veterinarian calls the findings aloud while an assistant or technician charts them.

Dental formula

The count of each tooth type in one side of the upper and lower jaw. An adult dog has I 3/3, C 1/1, P 4/4, M 2/3, which is 42 teeth; an adult cat I 3/3, C 1/1, P 3/2, M 1/1, which is 30. Puppies have 28 deciduous teeth and kittens 26.

Carnassial teeth

The large shearing pair of cheek teeth: the upper fourth premolar (108 and 208) and the lower first molar (309 and 409) in dogs and cats. They are common sites for fractures, furcation involvement and resorption.

Maxillary and mandibular

Upper jaw teeth are maxillary, quadrants 1 and 2 (5 and 6 deciduous); lower jaw teeth are mandibular, quadrants 3 and 4 (7 and 8 deciduous). Right and left are always the animal's own.

Vestibular surface

The outer surface of any tooth, facing the lips or cheeks. On a veterinary chart it is called labial on incisors and canines and buccal on premolars and molars, and ChartCall labels each tooth with the word it takes.

Periodontal probing

Measuring around each tooth with a marked probe under anaesthesia: pocket depth, gingival recession, furcation involvement and bleeding. Mobility is tested by pushing the crown. The results are called one tooth at a time.

Deciduous teeth

The baby teeth of a puppy or kitten, numbered in quadrants 5 to 8. A puppy has no deciduous first premolars and no deciduous molars, so there is no 505 and nothing after 508.

Triadan numbering for dogs and cats

Every tooth each species has, in charting order, quadrant 1 round to quadrant 4 (5 to 8 for deciduous teeth). Right and left are the animal's. Numbers a species lacks are skipped, never reused.

Ready to hear these in use? Start the daily drill or read how callouts are dictated. For a one page lookup, see dental charting abbreviations and symbols, and for Palmer notation as well as Universal and FDI, the tooth numbering conversion chart.

Last reviewed 26 September 2026. First published 25 September 2026.