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Glossary of Dental Terms
Anatomy
| Anterior |
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Front teeth. |
| Crown of Tooth |
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The part of the tooth covered with enamel, the part that is normally visible above the gum line. |
| Dental caries |
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Decay, cavities. |
| Dentin |
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The hard bonelike connective tissue making up the root of the tooth and the crown under the shell of enamel. Dentin has feeling through a series of tubules that act like nerves. |
| Enamel |
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The extremely hard outer shell of the tooth. Enamel, like hair and fingernails, has no feeling. |
| Posterior |
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Back teeth. |
| Pulp |
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The soft tissue in the center of the tooth that holds the nerves and blood supply. |
| Root |
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The part of the tooth below the gum line that anchors the tooth into the jawbone. |
PREVENTIVE
| Prophylaxis (prophy) |
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Tooth cleaning and polishing in the absence of gum disease. |
| Scaling |
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The removal of hard debris (tarter or calculus) from the tooth surface. |
| Topical Fluoride |
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Liquid or gel placed on teeth to help prevent caries. |
| Radiographs |
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X-ray films that help the dentist to detect beginning caries and gum disease that is not easily visible to the eye. |
CROWNS
| Cast Post and Core |
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An anchoring pin or post that is cemented into the root of the tooth (after a root canal) when there is not enough remaining tooth to support a crown. |
| Fixed Bridge |
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One or more false teeth (pontics) attached to the adjacent tooth or teeth by a crown or crowns. |
| Full Crown |
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A metal, plastic or porcelain restoration that covers the whole crown of the tooth. Sometimes called a cap. |
| 3/4 Crown |
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A crown, usually metal, that leaves part of the visible surface of the tooth intact. |
| Non-precious Metal |
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Metal that contains no gold or platinum. |
| Pin Build-up |
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Pins and support material placed into the tooth structure under crowns or fillings for strength. |
| Pontic |
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The false tooth on a fixed bridge, usually metal, porcelain, or a combination of the two. |
| Porcelain |
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Tooth colored ceramic material fired in a high temperature oven. Used to make crowns, bridges and veneers when esthetics is important. |
PROSTHETICS
| Full Denture |
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Plastic or porcelain teeth on a plastic base replacing all of the upper and/or lower natural teeth. |
| Partial Denture |
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Replacement of missing teeth on a plastic base or metal bar. |
| Stayplate |
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Plastic plate with teeth and clasps (usually temporary). |
| Reline |
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New plastic bonded into the denture to reestablish the fit since the underlying bone and gum tissue shrink over time. |
RESTORATIVE
| Composite/Plastic Resin |
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White or tooth-colored filling material. |
| Amalgam |
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Metal filling material, a mixture primarily of mercury and silver with small amounts of tin, zinc and copper. Usually called a silver filling. |
| Inlay |
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Cast Metal, ceramic or lab cured composite filling cemented to the tooth but not completely covering the chewing surface. |
| Onlay |
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Like an inlay, but covering the chewing surface. |
| Sedative Base |
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Medication placed on top of pulp to help restore vitality of tooth. |
ENDODONTICS
| Apicoectomy |
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Amputation of the tip of the root. |
| Pulpectomy/Pulpotomy |
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Removal of all or part of the nerve of the tooth. |
| Pulp Cap |
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Medication placed over the exposed area of a live pulp (nerve) to promote healing of the pulp. |
| Root Canal Filling |
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Reshaping and filling the nerve space in the root of the tooth after the death of the nerve. |
ORAL SURGERY
| Extraction |
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Removal of a tooth. |
| Surgical Extraction |
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Extraction of a tooth that requires opening a gum tissue flap, removal of bone and placing sutures (stitches). |
| Impaction |
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Unerupted tooth that is tipped or blocked so that it cannot come in normally. |
| Impaction (soft tissue) |
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Impacted tooth just under gum line. |
| Impaction (partially bony) |
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Impacted tooth partly covered by bone. |
| Impaction (completely bony) |
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Impacted tooth completely covered by bone. |
| Frenectomy |
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Removal of connective tissue between the front teeth to allow spaces to close, restore proper shape of gum tissue or free the tongue for normal function. |
PERIODONTICS
| Gingiva |
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Gum tissue. |
| Gingivitis |
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Beginning gum disease, inflammation of the gingiva. |
| Gingivectomy |
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Removal of gum tissue to promote proper maintenance. |
| Osseous and Mucogingival Surgery |
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Removal and reshaping of bone and gum tissue. |
| Periodontitis |
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Advanced gum disease, inflammation of the ligament that attaches the tooth to the bone. |
| Root Planing |
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Removal of calculus, reshaping and smoothing the surface of the root, the basic treatment for periodontitis. |
| Subgingival Curettage |
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Removal of calculus and diseased tissue from the root and the cuff of soft tissue around the root. |
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