- 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
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.