· Kensington Dental Care
How Many Teeth Do Adults Have?
The standard answer is 32 — but wisdom teeth and extractions mean it varies more than you'd think.
The short answer: a full adult mouth has 32 permanent teeth, including wisdom teeth. In practice, plenty of adults have fewer — and that’s completely normal.
The breakdown
- 8 incisors — the flat front teeth used for biting
- 4 canines — the pointed teeth used for tearing
- 8 premolars — used for chewing and grinding
- 8 molars — the larger back teeth used for grinding food
- 4 wisdom teeth (third molars) — the last to erupt, typically between ages 17 and 25
Why the number varies in practice
Wisdom teeth are commonly removed due to crowding, impaction, or lack of space to erupt properly, which brings many adults down to 28 teeth. Other teeth may also be extracted over a lifetime due to decay, injury, or orthodontic needs.
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Missing teeth matter
Whatever the count, gaps left by missing teeth can affect your bite, speech, and the position of neighbouring teeth over time. That’s part of why we discuss options like bridges, implants, or partial dentures when a tooth is lost — restoring the gap isn’t just cosmetic.
Curious how many teeth you have, or whether a gap should be addressed? Book an exam and we’ll take a look.
For more on this, see our general dentistry page.