HINTON, EDSON, JASPER, GRANDE CACHE, ALBERTA
– We know at Foothills Dental that dental professionals seems to have a “language” of their own. So…to help you better decipher what we are
saying, we came up with a mini dictionary of terms regularly used in
dentistry. We hope this helps!
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.
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.
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.
Cavity
A hole on
the tooth.
Cast
A model
of teeth.
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)
A crown
is almost like a “cap” on a tooth. It covers the tooth partially or totally
above the gum to restore its function and outlook.
The
rotten part of the tooth.
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.
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.
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
action of cutting something off.
Extruded
When a
tooth may be pushed partially out of the socket.
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.
The
mildest form of gum disease: inflammation of gum. The earliest sign is bleeding
gum.
Bleeding
Homeostasis
Stop
bleeding.
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.
Lingual
The side
of the tooth towards the tongue.
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.
A
mouthguard which is worn at night time.
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.
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.
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 planing
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.
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.
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.
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.
The
eighth (also the last) tooth from the middle of the jaw.
Dry mouth