Dental Terminology

Abutment - The teeth on either side of a missing tooth.
Amalgam - A silver/mercury mixture which is used for fillings.
Anatomy - 1)The arangement of the bones in your skeleton 2) The study of the arrangement of the bones in your skeleton.
Antiseptic - A chemical agent which can be applied to living tissues to destroy germs.
Anesthetic - A drug which a doctor or dentist uses to put you, your mouth, or some other part of your body asleep so you do not feel any pain during dental or medical procedures.
Anterior - An adjective used to describe things pertaining to your your Centrals, laterals and cuspids (your front teeth).
Arch - Collectively, either the teeth or the basal bone of either jaw.
Articulator - A special holder for models of your teeth. The articulator holds the models in the same alignment as your jaw so the orthodontist can look carefully at your bite.
Asepsis - The avoidance of potentially pathogenic microorganism. In practice,it refers to those techniques which aims to exclude all microorganisms.
Aspirator - A tube like a straw which the dentist puts in your mouth to suck up all the saliva.
Aspiration - Removal of fluids from your mouth with an aspirator.
Bruxism - Clenching or grinding of your teeth especially at night.
Calculus - A hard deposit that forms when you do not brush your teeth so the plaque hardens. Calculus is also known as tartar.
Caries - Another name for a cavities (tooth decay)
Cavity - A small hole in one of your teeth caused by tooth decay.
Cross contamination - Passing bacteria, viruses or AIDS indirectly from one patient to another through the use of improper sterilization procedures, unclean instruments, or "recycling" of orthodontic products.
Crown - 1) An artifacial tooth, 2) an artificial replacement for the covering on a tooth.
Curettage - A periodontal procedure where your gums are scraped to remove bacteria.
Decalcification - The loss of calcium from your teeth. This weakens your teeth and makes them more succeptable to decay
Denture - A synthetic replacment for all of your teeth in either your upper or your lower jaw.
Diagnosis - the process of identifying the nature of a disorder.
Direct contamination - Direct contact with impurities or germs. (for example by a Patient sneezing on the assistant.)
Disinfection - A cleaning process which destroys of most microorganism, but not highly resistant forms such as bacterial and mycotic spores or the AIDS virus.
Disinfectant - A chemical agent which is applied onto inanimate surfaces, for example chairs, to destroy germs.
Disposable materials - materials intended for one use and discarded. (e.g.: Gloves, paper gowns, cotton rolls, sponges, etc.)
Distal - Behind towards the back of the mouth. For example you might say that the first bicuspid is distal to the cuspid.
Edentulous - Someone is said to be edentulous whene all of their teeth are missing from either their upper or lower jaw.
Endodontist (Endo) - A dentist who specializes in root canals and the treatment of diseases or injuries that affect the root tips or nerves in your teeth.
Erupt, Eruption - When a new tooth comes in, the tooth is said to erupt when the tooth breaks through the surface of your gums, so you can see the tooth in your mouth.
Exfoliate - to fall out. (Your Deciduous teeth exfoliate and permanent teeth erupt into the space.)
Extraoral - Outside of your mouth. For example, neck pads are sait to be extra oral products since they go outside of your mouth.
Filtrum - the dimple or indentation under the nose directly above the upper lip.
Fluoride - A chemical solution or gel which you put on your teeth. The flouride hardens your teeth and prevents tooth decay.
Gingival hypertrophy - The abnormal enlargement of the gingiva surrounding the teeth caused by poor oral hygiene.
Gingivitis - The inflammation of your gums caused by improper brushing. The first sign of periodontal (gum) disease.
Impacted tooth - An unerupted tooth that somehow has gotten stuck and cannot come in.
Implant - A replacement for one of your missing teeth. The implant is different than a bridge in that the implant is permenantly attached into your jaw.
Incisal - The biting edge of your centrals and laterals.
Interproximal - the space between adjacent teeth
Intraoral - Inside your mouth. For example, orthodontic rubber bands are called intraoral products since the rubber bands are designed to go in your mouth.
Irrigation - the technique of using a solution to wash out your mouth and to flush debris.
Labial - The tooth surface next to your lips or things mounted on the tooth surfaces next to your lips.
Lingual - The tooth surface next to your tongue or things mounted on the tooth surfaces next to your tongue.
Mandible - Your lower jaw
Mandibular - Pertaining to your lower jaw
Masticate - To chew your food and mix the food with saliva
Maxilla - Your upper jaw
Maxillary - Pertaining to your upper jaw
Mesial - Forward or front. For example your cuspid is mesial to you bicuspid. The mesial surface of your bicuspid is the part of the bicuspid closest to your cuspid.
Midline - A plane through the very center of your mouth perpendicular to your nose.
Mixed dentition - The situation when both deciduous and permanent teeth are present.
Occlusal - the chewing or grinding surface of the bicuspid and molar teeth.
Occlusal plane - the imaginary surface on which upper and lower teeth meet.
Occlusal radiograph - the only x-ray that is taken without a precision(tm) x-ray holder. The x-ray film for this procedure is shaped like a large oatmeal cookie. You are asked to bite on the x-ray film and the top of the x-ray machine is positioned over your nose for a maxillary occlusal x-ray or under your chin for a mandibular occlusal film. The x- ray shows the whole arch.
Oral - pertaining to the mouth.
Osteoblasts - Cells which aid the growth and development of teeth and bones.
Osteoclasts - Cells which help create the sockets in bones. For example osteoclasps create the openings in your jaw bone to hold your teeth.
Pathogens - disease producing organisms that can exist in many different places. (e.g.: Air, dust, counter top surfaces, the body, etc.)
Pathology - the study of abnormal (diseased) tissue conditions.
Pedodontist (Pedo) - A dentist who specializes in the treatment of children's teeth.
Periapical - x-ray of individual teeth or groups of teeth.
Periodontist (Perio) - A dentist who specializes in the treatment of diseases of your gums.
Plaque - is a colorless, odorless, sticky substance containing acids and bacteria that causes tooth decay.
Periodontal - Pertaining to your gums. For example periodontal desiese is gum disease.
Periodontist - A dentist who specializes in the treatment of gum disease.
Posterior - An adjective used to describe things pertaining to the back of your mouth or your back teeth.
Prophylaxis - Cleaning your teeth
Prosthodontist - A dentist who specializes in the replacement of missing teeth.
Proximal - Refers to the surfaces of teeth that touch the next tooth; the space between adjacent teeth is the interproximal space.
Radiograph - Another name for an x-ray
Root canal - A procedure where the nerve of a heavily decayed tooth is removed from the tooth replaced with a filling material
Sagittal plane - The longitudinal vertical plane that divides the mouth into two halves (left and right.)
Sanitization - A cleaning process which reduces germs to a "safe" level.
Space maintainer - A gadget used to maintain a space in your mouth. You would use a space maintainer when you lose one of your baby teeth. The space maintainer will keep a space in your mouth until a permenant tooth comes in to fill the space.
Sterilization - A process where a medical material is treated to remove all possible germs and other forms of life
Supernumerary teeth - Some people have extra teeth. These are called "supernumerary teeth".
Tartar - Another name for calculus
TMJ - An abreviation for the "temporomandibular joint" The "temporomandibular joint" is the joint where your lower jaw connects to your skull.
Treatment card - a sheet of paper or special index card used to record your treatment progress.