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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