Dental Dictionary

Dental Terminology

Abscess

A collection of pus. Usually forms because of infection.

Abutment

A connector that attaches a restoration such as a crown, bridge, or denture to the jaw. The teeth on either side of a gap left by a missing tooth or teeth could serve as abutments. In a dental implant restoration, the abutment is a small device that attaches the crown or fixed denture to the implant that has osseointegrated into the jawbone.

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

Absence of microorganisms

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 by “bridging” the gap left by the 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 in the mouth characterized by a yellow base and a red border. It can be caused by trauma or herpes simplex virus.

Caries

Tooth decay

Cavity

A hole in the tooth

Cast

A model of teeth

Cementation

The process of "gluing" the appliance/prosthesis on the intendedarea

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 the partial denture hold on to natural tooth structure and thus provide anchorage for the denture.

Cold sore

An ulcer or blister on the lip. It is a form of herpes simplex.

Composite

White filling material

Cross-bite

An abnormal bite relationship of upper and lower jaw wherein the lower teeth/tooth align more 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 appearance.

Decay

A soft substance caused by the bacterial demineralization of enamel and dentin. It is an infection within a tooth that 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 prosthesis designed to replace missing teeth and their neighboring structures. There are many different types of dentures 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 field 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

Filling

A restoration placed on a tooth to fill cavities and restore the tooth’s 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 to clean that hard-to-reach area

Fluoride

A compound of fluorine (an element) which could 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 the 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 the 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 jawbone 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

Incisors

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 appearance of the tooth.

Interproximal

The space between two adjacent teeth.

J

K

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, it prevents injury to teeth and/or jaw during teeth grinding or sport events.

Nightguard

A mouthguard which is worn at night

Occlusal

The biting surface of the back teeth

Occlusion

The way the upper and lower teeth close together

Onlay

A restoration that covers the entire biting surface of a tooth

Open bite

The condition where the upper teeth are 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

Overbite

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 that involves the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of gum (periodontal) disease.

Permanent teeth

Adult's teeth. The first permanent tooth usually comes in when a child is around six years old.

Pin

A piece of "nail-like" metal that is usually used for better retention of a filling.

Polish

A process to make the tooth, filling, or other restoration 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 a particular authority (usually an insurance company in dentistry) before any action (treatment) is carried out

Pre-medication

Medication that needs 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, amount, and direction of 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 helps in the prevention of diseases

Prosthesis

An artificial fabrication created to replace missing teeth and their associated structures

Prosthodontics

A specialty of dentistry involving diagnosis, treatment planning, and fabrication of artificial prostheses 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 from inside a tooth

Pulpotomy

The removal of the top part of the pulp from inside a tooth

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 after orthodontictreatment

Retreatment

The process of repeating the root canal treatment

Root

The bottom part of the 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.

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 cavities

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

Temporomandibular 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.

U

Veneer

A layer of tooth-colored material (can be porcelain, composite, or ceramics) that is attached 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