Dental Glossary
Do you need help deciphering your dental claim, our glossary of terms and find out where your Zygomatic Bone is.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Abscess: Acute or chronic localized inflammation with a collection of pus, associated with tissue destruction and, frequently, swelling.
Abrasion: Tooth wear caused by forces other than chewing, such as improper brushing.
Abutment: A tooth or implant used to support an artificial device replacing teeth.
Acid Etchin: Applying an acid to the tooth-enamel surface to provide retention for bonding.
Alloplastic: Synthetic material used for tissue augmentation.
Alveolar: The bone to which a tooth is attached.
Alveoloplasty: The recontouring of bone structures, usually in preparation for a prosthesis.
Amalgam: A mixture of mercury, silver, tin, and copper used to fill cavities.
Analgesia: Loss of pain sensations without loss of consciousness.
Anesthesia: Removal of sensation. General anesthesia: a controlled state of unconsciousness. Local anesthesia: drug-induced elimination of sensation in one part of the body.
Anterior: The teeth and tissues located towards the front of the mouth.
Apex: The tip or end of the root end of the tooth.
Apicoectomy: Amputation of a tooth apex (root tip).
Arch, Dental: Upper or lower jaw.
Avulsion: Separation of tooth from its socket due to trauma; scientific term for “having a tooth knocked out.”
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Band: A metal ring orthodontists cement to a tooth as part of the bracing process.
Bicuspid: A tooth with two cusps, usually a premolar tooth.
Bilateral: Both sides.
Biopsy: Process of removing tissue for evaluation.
Bitewing Radiograph: A side-view mouth X-ray.
Bonding: A composite resin that changes the shape or color of a tooth.
Bridge: A fixed partial denture replacing one or more missing teeth. Bridges can be fixed or removable.
Bruxism: Grinding and/or clenching of teeth.
Buccal: Pertaining to or around the cheek.
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Calculus: Hard mineralized plaque attached to crowns and/or roots of teeth.
Canal: The space inside the root portion of a tooth containing pulp tissue; the passage which transmits vessels and nerves through the jaw.
Cantilever Extension: Part of a fixed prosthesis supported at one end only.
Caries: Tooth decay.
Cavity: Decay in tooth caused by caries; also referred to as carious lesion.
Cement Base: Material used under a filling to replace lost tooth structure.
Cementum: Hard connective tissue covering the tooth root.
Cephalometric Radiograph: A full-head X-ray.
Cleft Palate: Congenital deformity resulting in lack of fusion of the soft and/or hard palate.
Clenching: The clamping and pressing of the jaws and teeth together, frequently associated with psychological stress or physical effort.
Closed Reduction: The repositioning of a fractured bone without surgery.
Composite: A dental restorative material.
Compound Fracture: A broken bone exposed to external contamination.
Coping: A thin covering of a tooth crown applied as part of a restoration.
Coronal: The crown of a tooth.
Crown: A restoration that covers or “caps” a tooth to restore it to its normal shape and size. Anatomical crowns: The normal enamel covering of a tooth.
- Abutment crown: An artificial crown that supports a dental prosthesis.
- Artificial crown: A restoration that covers most or all of a tooth crown.
- Clinical crown: The part of a tooth not covered by supporting tissues.
Curettage: Scraping or cleaning the walls of a cavity or gingival pocket.
Cusp: An extruded part of the chewing surface of a tooth.
Cyst: A cavity containing fluid or soft matter.
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Debridement: Removal of plaque, calculus and/or tissue.
Decay: Carious lesions in a tooth resulting in decomposition of tooth structure.
Deciduous: Used to describe primary (baby) teeth.
Dental Prophylaxis: Scaling and polishing procedure that removes plaque, calculus, and stains.
Dentin: The part of the tooth beneath enamel and cementum.
Dentition: The teeth in the dental arch. Permanent dentition refers to permanent teeth; deciduous dentition refers to deciduous (baby) teeth.
Denture: An artificial substitute for natural teeth and adjacent tissues.
Denture Base: The part of a denture that contacts soft tissue and holds the artificial teeth.
Diagnostic Cast: Plaster or stone model of teeth and adjoining tissues; also referred to as study model.
Diastema: A space, often used to refer to a space between adjacent teeth.
Direct Pulp Cap: Covering exposed tooth pulp with a dressing or cement.
Displaced Tooth: Partial loss of a tooth due to trauma.
Distal: Toward the back of the dental arch.
Dry Socket: Inflammation of the tooth socket following a tooth extraction.
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Edentulous: Without teeth.
Enamel: Hard calcified tissue covering dentin of the crown of tooth.
Endodontist: A dental specialist who treats disease and injuries of the tooth pulp.
Equilibration: Reshaping the biting surfaces of teeth to create proper adjustment and alignment.
Evaluation: Periodic oral evaluation: a regular dental checkup. Limited oral evaluation — problem-focused: an exam limited to a specific oral-health problem. Comprehensive oral evaluation: a thorough evaluation of hard and soft tissues. Detailed and extensive oral evaluation — problem-focused, by report: a detailed and extensive problem-focused evaluation.
Evulsion: Complete separation of the tooth from its socket due to trauma (avulsion). A knocked-out tooth.
Excision: Surgical removal of bone or tissue.
Exudate: A byproduct of inflammation or necrosis (death of tissue) containing fluid, cells, and/or other debris.
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Facial: The surface of a tooth directed toward the face.
Filling: The restoring of lost tooth structure using materials like metal, alloy, plastic, or cement.
Fracture: In dentistry, the breaking of a tooth.
Frenum: Muscle fibers covered by a mucous membrane that attach the cheek, lips and/or tongue to associated structures.
Furcation: The area of a multirooted tooth where the roots diverge.
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Gingiva: The soft tissues overlying the crowns of unerupted teeth and encircling the necks of erupted teeth.
Gingivectomy: The removal of gingiva.
Gingivitis: Inflammation of the gingival tissues.
Gingivoplasty: A process that reshapes gingiva into a normal, functional form.
Graft: A piece of tissue or alloplastic material put in contact with tissue to repair a defect or supplement a deficiency.
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Hemisection: Surgical separation of a multirooted tooth so that one root and/or the overlaying portion of the crown can be surgically removed.
Heterologous: Made up of tissue not normal to the part.
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Imaging, Diagnostic: Includes, but is not limited to, CAT scans, MRIs, photographs, and X-rays.
Immediate Denture: Prosthesis that is placed immediately after removing natural teeth.
Impacted Tooth: An unerupted or partially erupted tooth that is blocked from surfacing by another tooth, bone, or soft tissue.
Implant: A device placed surgically in bone as support for a prosthesis.
Implantation, Tooth: Placement of an artificial or natural tooth into a socket.
Indirect Pulp Cap: Procedure in which the nearly exposed pulp is covered with a protective dressing to protect the pulp from additional injury and to promote healing and repair.
Inlay: A dental restoration made outside of the mouth and then applied to a tooth.
Intentional Reimplantation: The intentional removal, repair and replacement of a tooth into its socket.
Interproximal: Between the adjoining surfaces of adjacent teeth.
Intracoronal: Within the crown of a tooth.
Intraoral: Inside the mouth.
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Jaw: A common name for either the maxilla or the mandible.
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Labial: Pertaining to or around the lip.
Lesion: An injury or wound; area of diseased tissue.
Line Angle: Used to designate the junction of two tooth surfaces or two walls of a tooth-cavity preparation.
Lingual: Pertaining to or around the tongue.
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Maintenance, Periodontal: Therapy for preserving the health of the periodontium.
Malar: Pertaining to the cheek bone.
Malignant: Cancerous.
Malocclusion: Improper alignment of biting or chewing surfaces.
Mandible: Lower jaw.
Maxilla: The upper jaw.
Mesial: Toward the midline of the dental arch.
Molar: Teeth back of the premolars (bicuspids) on either side of the jaw; grinding teeth, having large crowns and broad chewing surfaces.
Moulage: A wax or plaster cast-mold reproduction of the face.
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Non-Autogenous: A graft from a donor other than the patient.
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Obturator: A prosthesis that closes an opening in the palate.
Occlusal Radiograph: An X-ray where the film is held between the teeth.
Occlusion: Any contact between biting or chewing surfaces of maxillary (upper) and mandibular (lower) teeth.
Onlay: A restoration made outside the mouth that replaces a tooth cusp or cusps.
Oral: Pertaining to the mouth.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon: A dental specialist who diagnoses and treats diseases, injuries, deformities, defects, and aesthetic aspects of the mouth and jaw.
Oral Pathology: The specialty concerned with recognition, diagnosis, investigation, and management of diseases of the mouth, jaws, and adjacent structures.
Orthodontist: A dental specialist who treats the misalignment of the teeth and their surrounding structures.
Osteoplasty: Surgical procedure that modifies the bones in the jaws.
Osteotomy: Surgical cutting of bone.
Overdenture: Prosthetic device supported by retained teeth roots or implants.
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Palate: The hard and soft tissues forming the roof of the mouth.
Palliative: Action that relieves pain.
Panoramic Radiograph: An X-ray that shows the entire upper and lower mouth and jaw on a single film.
Partial Denture: A prosthetic device that replaces missing teeth, designed to be removed by the patient.
Patient: An individual who has established a professional relationship with a dentist for the delivery of dental care.
Pediatric Dentist: A dental specialist who treats children; formerly known as a pedodontist.
Periapical: The area surrounding the end of the tooth root.
Periapical Radiograph: An X-ray made by placing film inside the mouth.
Pericoronal: Around the crown of a tooth.
Periodontal: Pertaining to the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth.
Periodontal Disease: Inflammation of the gingival tissues and/or periodontal membrane.
Periodontal Pocket: A deepened gingival fissure; a feature of periodontal disease.
Periodontist: A dental specialist who treats diseases of the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth.
Periodontitis: Inflammation and loss of the connective tissue of the surrounding structure of teeth.
Periradicular: Surrounding a portion of the root of the tooth.
Plaque: A soft sticky substance, composed largely of bacteria, that accumulates on teeth.
Pontic: The artificial tooth on a fixed partial denture (bridge).
Post: A metallic projection cemented within a prepared root canal to strengthen and retain restorative material.
Posterior Teeth: Teeth and tissues towards the back of the mouth – i.e., premolars and molars.
Premedication: The use of medications prior to dental procedures.
Primary Dentition: The first set of teeth.
Prophylaxis: A scaling and polishing procedure that removes plaque, calculus and stains.
Prosthesis: Artificial replacement of any part of the body. Dental prosthesis: any device or appliance replacing one or more missing teeth and/or associated structures. Types of prostheses include: definitive prosthesis — a prosthesis to be used over an extended period of time; fixed prosthesis — non-removable tooth-borne dental prosthesis; interim prosthesis — a provisional prosthesis designed for use over a limited period of time; removable prosthesis — dental prosthesis designed to be removed and reinserted by the patient.
Prosthodontist: A dental specialist who restores natural teeth and replaces missing teeth with artificial substitutes.
Provisional: A temporary prosthesis or individual tooth restoration.
Pulp: The connective tissue containing blood vessels and nerves that occupies the pulp cavity of a tooth.
Pulp Cavity: The space within a tooth containing the pulp.
Pulpectomy: Complete removal of pulp tissue from the root-canal space.
Pulpitis: Inflammation of the pulp.
Pulpotomy: Surgical removal of a portion of the pulp with the aim of saving the remaining pulp.
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Quadrant: One of four equal sections into which the dental arches are divided.
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Radicular: Pertaining to the root.
Radiograph: X-ray.
Rebase: Refitting a denture by replacing the base material.
Reimplantation, Tooth: The return of a tooth to its socket.
Reline: The process of resurfacing the tissue side of a denture with new material.
Retainer: A device used to stabilize teeth.
Root: The portion of the tooth that is covered by cementum and located in the alveolus (socket).
Root Canal: The chamber within the root of the tooth that contains the pulp.
Root-Canal Therapy: The treatment of disease and injuries of the pulp and associated conditions.
Root Planing: A procedure designed to remove microbial flora, bacterial toxins, calculus, and diseased cementum or dentin on the root surfaces and in the pocket.
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Scaling: Removal of plaque, calculus, and stains from teeth.
Sialodochoplasty: Surgical procedure to repair and/or restore a portion of a salivary-gland duct.
Sialography: X-rays of the salivary ducts and glands.
Sialolithotomy: Surgical procedure to remove a stone within a salivary gland or its duct.
Splint: A device used to support, protect, or immobilize oral structures that have been loosened, replanted, fractured, or traumatized.
Stomatitis: Inflammation of the mouth membranes.
Stress Breaker: Part of a tooth-borne and/or tissue-borne prosthesis designed to relieve the abutment teeth and their supporting tissues from stress.
Study Model: Plaster or stone model of teeth and adjoining tissues; also referred to as diagnostic cast.
Suture: A stitch used to repair an incision or wound.
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Temporary Removable Partial Denture: An interim prosthesis.
Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ): The hinge between the mandible (lower jaw) and base of the skull (temporal bone).
Temprormandibular Joint Dysfunction: Abnormal functioning of the TMJ.
Tissue Conditioning: Material placed in contact with tissues for a limited time to help the tissues heal.
Transplantation, Tooth: Transfer of a tooth from one socket to another, either in the same or a different person.
Trismus: Restricted ability to open the mouth, usually due to inflammation.
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Unerupted: Tooth/teeth that have not penetrated into the oral cavity.
Unilateral: One-sided.
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Veneer: A layer of tooth-colored material attached to the tooth surface. Veneers may be made of porcelain, ceramic, composite, or acrylic resin.
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X-Ray: Radiograph.
Xerostomia: Decreased salivary secretion that produces a dry and sometimes burning sensation and/or tooth decay.
Zygomatic Bone: A cheekbone.
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