Dental Dictionary

Abscess

  • A collection of pus. Usually forms because of infection.

Abutment

  • A tooth or tooth structure which is responsible for the anchorage of a bridge or a denture.

Amalgam

  • A silver filling material.

Anesthetic

  • An agent that causes temporary loss of sensation/feeling.

Anterior

  • The front position.

Apex

  • The end of the root.

Asepsis

  • No micro-organism.

Attrition

  • Wear of teeth due to activities such as chewing.

Avulsed

  • An injury that causes a tooth to be completely knocked out of the mouth.

Bitewing

  • A kind of dental x-ray which is taken with the teeth bite together. The main function of this kind of x-ray is to detect cavities in between teeth and height of bone support.

Bleaching

  • Whitening of teeth.

Bridge

  • A prosthesis which is fixed inside the mouth to replace missing teeth.

Bruxism

  • Teeth grinding.

Canine

  • The third tooth from the middle of the jaw. There are four of them. They are the longest teeth in humans.

Canker sore

  • An ulceration with yellow base and red border in mouth. It can be caused by trauma or herpes simplex virus.

Caries

  • Tooth decay.

Cast

  • A model of teeth.

Cavity

  • A hole on the tooth.

Cementation

  • The process of "gluing" the appliance/prosthesis on the associated area.

Chlorhexidine

  • An anti-microbial agent. It is available in many forms such as gels and rinses. It is an effective agent in controlling gum diseases.

Clasp

  • A metal arm extended from a removable partial denture. It helps to hold onto natural tooth structure and thus provide anchorage for the denture.

Cold sore

  • An ulcer or blister on lip. A form of herpes simplex.

Composite

  • White filling.

Cross-bite

  • An abnormal bite relationship of upper and lower jaw. The lower teeth/tooth align toward the check/ lip side more than the upper teeth/tooth.

Crown (porcelain/plastic/metal)

  • An abnormal bite relationship of upper and lower jaw. The lower teeth/tooth align toward the check/ lip side more than the upper teeth/tooth.

Decay

  • A soft substance caused by the bacterial demineralization of enamel and dentin. An infection within a tooth. Must be treated.

Dentistry

  • A branch of medicine that involves diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of any disease concerning teeth, oral cavity, and associated structures.

Dentition

  • The position, type, and number of teeth in upper and lower jaw.

Denture

  • (Immediate/complete/partial) (overdenture, temporary). An artificial object to replace missing teeth and their neighboring structures. There are many different types of denture to satisfy different treatment requirements and patient preferences.

Denturist

  • The person who specializes in fabricating dentures. A Denturist is not responsible for making any type of diagnosis or carrying out any other treatment (e.g. removing teeth).

Desensitization

A procedure to reduce the sensitivity of teeth.

  • Diagnosis

The process of identifying dental disease.

Diastema

  • The space between two adjacent teeth.

Distal

  • A direction indication in the mouth. It indicates the direction away from the middle of the jaw.

Edentulous

  • No teeth.

Endodontics

  • A department of dentistry involving diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental pulp (where the nerves and blood vessels are inside the tooth).

Eruption

  • The process of the tooth appearing in the mouth.

Excision

  • The process of the tooth appearing in the mouth.

Extruded

  • When a tooth may be pushed partially out of the socket.

Filling

  • A restoration placed on a tooth to restore its function and appearance.

Flipper

  • A temporary denture to replace missing teeth during the waiting period for long term treatment.

Floss

  • A thread/tape that goes in between teeth for cleaning.

Fluoride

  • A compound of fluorine (an element) which be put in different forms such as water, gels, and rinses to strengthen teeth.

Fluoride Treatment

  • Teeth treatment with fluoride agents like gel or rinse. It helps to prevent tooth decay.

Fracture

  • When a cusp of a tooth becomes weakened, a fracture may result. It is possible for the crack to extend further into the root and damage to the pulp is commonplace.

Framework

  • A metal skeleton of a removable partial denture to support the false teeth and the plastic attachments.

Gingivitis

  • The mildest form of gum disease: inflammation of gum. The earliest sign is bleeding gum.

Hemorrhage

  • Bleeding

Hemostasis

  • Stop bleeding.

Impaction

  • A condition where a tooth is not able to come in normally or is stuck underneath another tooth or bone.

Implant

  • A device (usually "screw-like") put in the jaw bone to support a false tooth, a denture or a bridge.

Impression

  • A mold taken by some jelly-like material loaded on a tray.

Incisal

  • The cutting edge of front teeth.

Incisor

  • The four upper and lower front teeth.

Inlay

  • A restoration (usually gold, composite or ceramics) fabricated in the lab that cements on a tooth like a missing puzzle piece. It helps to restore the normal function and outlook of the tooth.

Interproximal

  • The space between two adjacent teeth.

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Lingual

  • The side of the tooth towards the tongue.

Mesial

  • The side of the tooth towards the middle of the jaw

Molar

  • The last three upper and lower teeth on both sides of the mouth.

Mouthguard

  • A device to be worn in the mouth. Depending on the design of it, it prevents injury to teeth and/or jaw during teeth grinding or sport events.

Nightguard

  • A mouthguard which is worn at night time.

Occlusal

  • The biting surface of the back teeth.

Occlusion

  • The way how the upper and lower teeth close together.

Onlay

  • A restoration covers the entire biting surface of a tooth.

Open bite

  • The situation where the upper teeth not able to contact the opposing lower teeth.

Orthodontics

  • A special field in dentistry which involves diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of bite abnormalities or facial irregularities.

Over bite

  • The overlap of upper teeth and lower teeth when they close together.

Overhang

  • The portion of filling material that hangs beyond the border of the cavity.

Palate

  • The roof of the mouth.

Panoramic Radiograph

  • An x-ray film used to obtain the wide view of upper and lower jaw and their associated structures.

Perforation

  • An opening on a tooth or other oral structure.

Periapical

  • The surrounding of the bottom of the root of a tooth.

Periodontics

  • A specialty of dentistry involves diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of gum (periodontal) disease.

Permanent teeth

  • Adult's teeth. The first permanent tooth usually comes in around 6 years old.

Pin

  • A piece of "nail-like" metal. It usually is used for better retention of a filling.

Polish

  • A process to make the tooth or filling or other denture smooth and glossy.

Pontic

  • The false tooth in a bridge or denture to replace the missing tooth.

Post

  • A big pin which can be made with different materials such as metal or carbon. Its function usually is to support a big buildup on a tooth.

Posterior

  • Located at the back.

Pre-authorization

  • An approval from the particular authority (usually insurance company in dentistry) before any action (treatment) is carried out.

Pre-medication

  • Medication needing to be taken before treatment.

Premolar

  • The two teeth located in front of the molar.

Prescription

  • A written statement (from a doctor to a pharmacist) regarding the type, the amount and direction of the use of a medication for a patient. In dentistry, a prescription can also be a written statement for preparation of an appliance from a dentist to a lab technician.

Primary teeth

  • Baby teeth.

Prophylaxis/prophy

  • The procedure of teeth polishing. It also means the prevention of diseases.

Prosthesis

  • An artificial part to replace missing teeth and their associated structures.

Prosthodontics

  • A specialty of dentistry involving diagnosis, treatment planning, and fabrication of artificial parts to replace missing teeth and their associated structures.

Pulp

  • The innermost part of a tooth. It contains nerves and blood vessels inside a tooth.

Pulpectomy

  • The removal of the whole pulp inside a tooth.

Pulpotomy

  • The removal of the top part of the pulp inside a tooth.

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Radiograph

  • An x-ray picture.

Recall

  • The regular checkup and teeth cleaning appointment.

Recementation

  • The process of "gluing" the appliance/prosthesis back on the associated area.

Restoration

  • An item a dentist uses to restore the normal function of a tooth or an area in the mouth. It can be a filling, a crown, a bridge, etc.

Retainer

  • A device used for maintaining the position of teeth in the jaw in orthodontic treatment.

Retreatment

  • The process of repeating the root canal treatment.

Root

  • The bottom part of tooth. It anchors the tooth to its supporting units.

Root canal

  • The canal that runs inside the root of the tooth. It contains the nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth.

Root canal treatment

  • A treatment for the root canal inside the tooth.

Root planting

  • The action of cleaning the root area of teeth.

Rubber dam

  • A rubber sheet that fits around teeth. It isolates the treatment area from the rest of the oral cavity.

Scaling

  • The action of cleaning teeth below the gumline.

Sealant

  • A thin layer of plastic-like material covering the grooves and pits on a tooth to prevent cavity.

Sedation

  • The use of medication to calm a patient.

Space Maintainer

  • An appliance to maintain the space between teeth.

Splint

  • An appliance or a material to prevent movement of a mobile part.

Tempromandibular Joint (TMJ)

  • The joint that links the two parts of the jaw.

Torus

  • An outgrowth of bone. It usually develops on the roof of the mouth or around the premolar area on the lower jaw.

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Veneer

  • A layer of tooth-colored material (can be porcelain, composite, or ceramics) that attaches to the front of the tooth. It is usually used to improve the appearance of the tooth.

Wisdom tooth

  • The eighth (also the last) tooth from the middle of the jaw.

Xerostomia

  • Dry mouth

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