Abscess
Acute
or chronic, localized inflammation, with a collection of pus, associated with
tissue destruction and, frequently, swelling, usually secondary to infection.
Abutment
A
tooth or implant used to support a prosthesis.
Alveoplasty
Surgical
procedure for recontouring alveolar structures, usually in preparation for a
prosthesis.
Amalgam
An
alloy used in dental restorations.
Anterior
Refers
to the teeth in the forward part of the mouth – incisors and canines.
Bitewing
Interproximal
view radiograph of the coronal portion of the tooth.
Bridge
A
prosthetic replacement of one or more missing teeth on a framework that may be
removed by the patient.
Bruxism
The
parafunctional grinding of the teeth
Calculus
Hard
deposit of mineralized material adhering to crowns and/or roots of teeth.
Canal
A
narrow tubular passage or channel; space inside the root portion of a tooth
containing pulp tissue.
Caries
Commonly
used term for tooth decay.
Cavity
Decay
in tooth caused by caries
Composite
A
dental restorative material made up of disparate or separate parts.
Crown
Part
of the tooth that is covered with enamel and normally projects beyond the
gingival margin; artificial replacement is called by the same name.
Crown
lengthening A
surgical procedure exposing more tooth for restorative purposes by apically
positioning the gingival margin and/or removing supporting bone.
Curettage
Scraping
or cleaning the walls of a cavity or gingival pocket.
Debridement
Removal
of below the gum line and/or above the gum line plaque and calculus, which
obstructs the ability to perform an evaluation.
Decay
The
lay term of carious lesions in a tooth.
Dental
prophylaxis Scaling
and polishing procedure performed to remove plaque, calculus, and stains from
the crown of the tooth.
Denture
An
artificial substitute for natural teeth and adjacent tissues.
Distal
Toward
the back of the dental arch (or away from the midline).
Dry
Socket Localized
inflammation of the tooth socket following extraction due to infection or loss
of blood clot.
Enamel
Hard
calcified tissue covering the outer portion of a tooth.
Endodontist
A
dental specialist who limits his/her practice to treating disease and injuries
of the pulp and surrounding portion of the root of teeth.
Examination
(Oral Evaluation) A
dentist thoroughly evaluates the state of health of the patient including a
thorough examination of the hard and soft tissues of the oral cavity and
contiguous structures.This
includes but is not limited to the use of diagnostic information acquired
through interpretation of appropriate dental radiographs and may also include
pulp vitality tests, transillumination, study models and laboratory tests,
when indicated.
Extraction
Removal
of a tooth or tooth parts.
Filling
A
lay term used for the restoring of lost tooth structure by using material such
as metal, alloy, plastic or porcelain.
Frenum
Muscle
fibers covered by a mucous membrane that attaches the cheek, lips, and/or
tongue to associated dental mucosa.
Gingiva
Soft
tissue (gum tissue) overlaying the crowns of un-erupted teeth and encircling
the necks of those that have erupted.
Gingivitis
Inflammation
of gingival (gum) tissue without loss of connective tissue.
Graft
A
piece of tissue or synthetic material placed in contact with tissue to repair
a defect or supplement a deficiency.
Immediate
Denture Prosthesis
constructed for placement immediately after removal of remaining natural
teeth.
Impacted
Tooth An
un-erupted or partially erupted tooth that is positioned against another
tooth, bone, or soft tissue so that complete eruption is unlikely.
Implant
Material
inserted or grafted into tissue.
Inlay
A
dental restoration made outside the mouth to correspond to the prepared tooth,
which is then cemented to the tooth.
Interproximal
Between
the adjoining surfaces of adjacent teeth in the same arch.
Lingual
Pertaining
to or around the tongue; surface of the tooth directed toward the tongue.
Maintenance,
Periodontal therapy
for preserving the state of health of the periodontium.
Mandible
Lower
jaw
Maxilla
Upper
jaw
Mesial
Toward
the midline of the dental arch.
Metals,
Classification of The
noble metal classification system has been adopted as a precise method of
reporting various alloys used in dentistry.Alloys are defined on the basis of the percentage of metal content:
high
noble Gold, Palladium and/or Platinum >= 60%
titanium
and titanium alloys Titanium > 85%
noble
Gold, Palladium, and/or
Platinum >= 25%
predominately
base Gold, Palladium, and/or Platinum < 25%
Molar
Teeth
posterior to the bicuspids on either side of the jaw; grinding teeth having
large crowns and broad chewing surfaces.
Occlusal
Pertaining
to the biting or chewing surfaces of the upper and lower teeth.
Oral
and Maxillo-Facial Surgeon A
dental specialist whose practice is limited to the diagnosis, surgical and
adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries, deformities, defects and esthetic
aspects of the oral and maxillofacial regions.
Orthodontist
A
dental specialist whose practice is limited to the interception and treatment
of malocclusion (improper alignment) of the teeth and their surrounding
structures.
Osseous
Bony
Palliative
Action
that relieves pain but is not curative.
Panoramic
Radiograph A
radiograph on which the upper and lower jaw is depicted on a single film.
Partial
Denture Usually
refers to a prosthetic device that replaces missing teeth.
Pediatric
Dentist A
dental specialist whose practice is limited to treatment of children from
birth through adolescence; formerly known as a Pedodontist.
Periapical
The
area surrounding the end of the tooth root.
Periodontist
A
dental specialist whose practice is limited to the treatment of diseases of
the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth.
Periodontitis
Inflammation
and loss of the connective tissue of the supporting or surrounding structure
of teeth with loss of attachment.
Plaque
A
soft sticky substance that accumulates on teeth composed largely of bacteria.
Prophylaxis
Scaling
and polishing procedure performed to remove plaque, calculus and stains from
the crown of teeth.
Prosthodontist
A
dental specialist whose practice is limited to the restoration of natural
teeth and/or the replacement of missing teeth with artificial substitutes.
Pulpotomy
The
removal of the crown portion of the pulp.
Quadrant
One
of four equal sections into which the dental arches can be divided.
Radiograph
X-ray
Reline
Process
of resurfacing the tissue side of a denture with new base material.
Root
The
anatomic portion the tooth that is located in the socket.
Root
Canal Therapy The
treatment of disease and injuries of the pulp and associated portions
surrounding the root of a tooth.
Root
Planning A
procedure designed to remove microbial flora, bacterial toxins, calculus and
diseased portion on the root surfaces and in the pocket.
Scaling
Removal
of plaque, calculus, and stain from teeth.
Sealant
A
material that is bonded to a tooth to seal pits, fissures, and enamel defects
to prevent caries (decay).
Suture
Stitch
used to repair an incision or wound.
Temporomandibular
Joint The
connecting hinge mechanism between the base of the skull and the lower jaw.
Temporomandibular
Joint Dysfunction problems
with the jaw joint.
Unerupted
Tooth/teeth
that have not penetrated into the oral cavity.
Unilateral
One-sided
Veneer In
the construction of crowns, a layer of tooth-colored material,attached to the surface by fusion, cementation, or mechanical
retention; also refers to a restoration that is bonded to the facial surface
of a tooth.