Abscess:
A collection of pus. Usually forms because of an infection.
Abutment:
A tooth or tooth structure which is responsible for the anchorage of a bridge or a denture.
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.
Bruxism:
Teeth grinding.
Caries:
Tooth decay.
Cementation:
The process of “gluing” the appliance/prosthesis on the associated area.
Cold Sore:
An ulcer or blister on lip. A form of herpes simplex.
Crown:
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.
Dentition:
The position, type, and number of teeth in upper and lower jaw.
Desensitization:
A procedure to reduce the sensitivity of teeth.
Diastema:
The space between two adjacent teeth.
Edentulous:
No teeth.
Eruption:
The process of the tooth appearing in the mouth.
Extruded:
When a tooth may be pushed partially out of the socket.
Floss:
A thread/tape that goes in between teeth for cleaning.
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.
Hemorrhage:
Bleeding.
Implant:
A device (screw like) put in the jaw bone to support a false tooth, a denture or a bridge.
Incisor:
The four upper and lower front teeth.
Lingual:
The side of the tooth towards the tongue.
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 sports events.
Occlusion:
The way how the upper and lower teeth close together.
Orthodontics:
A special field in dentistry which involved diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of bite abnormalities or facial irregularities.
Panoramic Radiograph:
An x-ray film used to obtain the wide view of upper and lower jaw and their associated structures.
Periodontics:
A specialty of dentistry involves diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of gum (periodontal) disease.
Polish:
A process to make the tooth or filling or other denture smooth and glossy.
Posterior:
Located at the back.
Premolar:
The two teeth located in front of the molar.
Prophylaxis/Prophy:
The procedure of teeth polishing. It also means the prevention of diseases.
Pulp:
The innermost part of a tooth. It contains nerves and blood vessels inside a tooth.
Radiograph:
An x-ray picture.
Recementation:
The process of “gluing” the appliance/prosthesis back on the associated area.
Retreatment:
The process of repeating the root canal treatment.
Root Canal Treatment:
A treatment for the root canal inside the tooth.
Root planning:
The action of cleaning the root area of teeth.
Sedation:
The use of medication to calm a patient.
Tempromandibular Joint (TMJ):The joint that links the two parts of the jaw.
Wisdom Tooth:
The eighth (also the last) tooth from the middle of the jaw.
Anterior:
The front position.
Apex:
The end of the root
Asepsis:
No micro-organism.
Bleaching:
Whitening of teeth.
Canine:
The third tooth from the middle of the jaw. There are four of them. They are the longest teeth in humans.
Cavity:
A hole on the tooth.
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.
Composite:
White filling.
Decay:
The rotten part of the tooth.
Denture:
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.
Diagnosis:
The process of identifying dental disease.
Distal:
A direction indication in the mouth. It indicates the direction away from the middle of the jaw.
Endodontics:
A department of dentistry involving diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental pulp.
Filling:
A restoration placed on a tooth to restore its function and appearance.
Fluoride:
A compound of fluorine (an element) which can be put in different forms such as water, gels, and rinses to strengthen teeth.
Framework:
A metal skeleton of a removable partial denture to support the false teeth and the plastic attachments.
Homeostasis:
Stop bleeding.
Impression:
A mold taken by some jelly-like material loaded on a tray.
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.
Mesial:
The side of the tooth towards the middle of the jaw.
Nightguard:
A mouthguard which is worn at night time.
Onlay:
A restoration covers the entire biting surface of a tooth.
Over bite:
The overlap of upper teeth and lower teeth when they close together.
Perforation:
An opening on a tooth or other oral structure.
Permanent Teeth:
Adult’s teeth. The first permanent tooth that usually comes in around 6 years.
Pontic:
The false tooth in a bridge or denture to replace the missing tooth.
Pre-authorization:
An approval from the particular authority (usually insurance company in dentistry) before any action (treatment) is carried out.
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 written statement for a preparation of an appliance from a dentist to a lab technician.
Pulpectomy:
The removal of the whole pulp inside a tooth.
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.
Root:
The bottom part of tooth. It anchors the tooth to its supporting units.
Rubber Dam:
A rubber sheet that fits around teeth. It isolates the treatment area from the rest of the oral cavity.
Space Maintainer:
An appliance to maintain the space between teeth.
Torus:
An outgrowth of bone. It usually develops on the roof of the mouth or around the premolar area on the lower jaw.
Xerostomia:
Dry Mouth
Amalgam:
A silver filling material.
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.
Bridge:
A prosthesis which is fixed inside the mouth to replace missing teeth.
Canker Sore:
An ulceration with yellow base and red border in mouth. It can be caused by trauma or herpes simplex virus.
Cast:
A model of teeth.
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.
Cross-bite:
An abnormal bite relationship of upper and lower jaw. The lower teeth/tooth align toward the cheek/lip side more than the upper teeth/tooth.
Dentistry:
A branch of medicine that involves diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of any disease concerning teeth, real cavity, and associated structures.
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.
Excision:
The action of cutting something off.
Flipper:
A temporary denture to replace missing teeth during the waiting period for long term treatment.
Fluoride Treatment:
Teeth treatment with fluoride agents like gel or rinse. It helps to prevent tooth decay.
Gingivitis:
The mildest form of gum disease: inflammation of gum. The earliest sign is bleeding gum.
Impaction:
A condition where a tooth is not able to come in normally or is stuck underneath another tooth or bone.
Incisal:
The cutting edge of from teeth.
Interproximal:
The space between two adjacent teeth.
Molar:
The last three upper and lower teeth on both sides of the mouth.
Occlusal:
The biting surface of the back teeth.
Open bite:
The situation where the upper teeth are not able to contact the opposing lower teeth.
Overhang:
The portion of filling material that hangs beyond the border of the cavity.
Palate:
The roof of the mouth.
Periapical:
The surrounding of the bottom of the root of a tooth.
Pin:
A piece of “nail-like” metal. It usually is used for better retention of a filling.
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.
Pre-medication:
Medication needed to be taken before treatment.
Primary Teeth:
Baby teeth.
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.
Pulpotomy:
The removal of the top part of the pulp inside a tooth.
Retainer:
A device used for maintaining the position of teeth in the jaw in orthodontic treatment.
Root canal:
The canal that runs inside the root of the tooth. It contains the nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth.
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.
Splint:
An appliance or a material to prevent movement of a mobile part.
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.