Patient Information
| Dental Dictionary
Abscess: A collection of pus that 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.
Attrition: Wear of teeth due to activities such as chewing.
Bitewing: A kind of dental X-ray taken with the teeth together. The main function of this kind of X-ray is to detect cavity in between teeth.
Bleaching: Whitening of teeth.
Bridge: A prosthesis fixed inside the mouth to replace missing teeth.
Canine: The third tooth from the middle of the jaw. They are the longest teeth in humans.
Cavity: A hole on the tooth.
Cast: A model of teeth.
Cementation: The process of "gluing" the appliance/prosthesis on the associated area.
Clasp: A metal arm extends from a removable partial denture. It helps to hold on to natural tooth structure and thus provide anchorage for the denture.
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 to 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 form and function.
Decay: The diseased part of the tooth.
Dentition: The position, type, and number of teeth in upper and lower jaw.
Denture: (Immediate/complete/partial) (over denture, 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.
Desensitization: A procedure to reduce the sensitivity of teeth.
Diastema: The space in between two adjacent teeth.
Distal: A direction indication in the mouth. It indicates the direction away from the middle of the jaw.
Endodontics: A department of dentistry involves diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of dental pulp (the nerves and blood vessels 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.
Filling: A restoration places 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.
Fluoride: A compound of fluorine (an element) that strengthens teeth.
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 common.
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 gums.
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 jawbone to support an artificial tooth, a denture, or a bridge.
Impression: A mold taken of your teeth.
Incisal: The cutting edge of front teeth.
Incisor: The four upper and lower front teeth.
Inlay: A restoration (usually is gold, composite, or ceramics) fabricated in the lab. An inlay fits on a tooth like a missing puzzle piece. It helps to restore the normal function and appearance of the tooth.
Interproximal: The space in between two adjacent teeth.
Molar: The last three upper and lower teeth on both sides of the mouth.
Mouth guard: A device worn to protect teeth. It prevents injury to teeth and/or jaw during teeth grinding or sporting events.
Night guard: A mouth guard that is worn at nighttime to prevent the damage caused by teeth grinding.
Occlusal: The biting surface of the back teeth.
Occlusion: How the upper and lower teeth close together.
Onlay: A restoration that covers the entire biting surface of a tooth.
Orthodontics: A special field in dentistry involving the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of bite abnormalities or facial irregularities.
Panoramic Radiograph: An X-ray film whose purpose it to obtain the wide view of upper and lower jaw.
Periodontics: A specialty of dentistry involves diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of the gums and other structures around the teeth.
Permanent teeth: Adult teeth. The first permanent tooth usually comes in around six years of age.
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 artificial tooth in a bridge or denture to replace the missing natural tooth.
Pre-authorization: An approval from a particular authority (usually insurance company in dentistry) before any action (treatment) is carried out.
Pre-medication: Medication needs to be taken before treatment.
Premolar: The two teeth located in front of the molar.
Primary teeth: Baby teeth.
Prophylaxis/prophy: The procedure of teeth polishing. It also means the prevention of dental diseases.
Prosthesis: An artificial part to replace missing teeth.
Prosthodontics: A specialty of dentistry involving the 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 the 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.
Radiograph: An X-ray picture.
Recall: The regular checkup and teeth cleaning appointment.
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 planning: The action of cleaning on 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 of teeth below the gum line.
Sealant: A thin layer of plastic-like material that covers the grooves and pits on a tooth to prevent cavity.
Space Maintainer: An appliance to maintain the space in between teeth.
Splint: An appliance or a material to prevent movement of a mobile part.
Tempromandibular Joint (TMJ): The joint that links the upper and lower jaw.
Veneer: A layer of tooth-colored material (can be porcelain, composite, or ceramics) that attaches to the front of the tooth.
Wisdom tooth: The eighth (also the last tooth) tooth from the middle of the jaw. |
