Glossary of Terms

Air abrasion
Removal of tooth structure by blasting a tooth with air and abrasive, a relatively new technology that may avoid the need for anesthetic

Alveolar bone
The jaw bone that anchors the roots of teeth

Alveolar process
The curving part of the jaw into which the teeth are rooted.

Alveolus
The socket in the alveolar bone into which the tooth’s root fits.

Amalgam
A most common filling material, also known as "silver fillings,"containing mercury (app 50%), silver, tin, copper and zinc used for fillings

Analgesia
A state of pain relief; an agent lessening pain

Anaesthesia
Partial or complete elimination of pain sensation; numbing a tooth is an example of local anaesthesia; general anaesthesia produces partial or complete unconsciousness

General Anesthesia: A controlled state of unconsciousness, accompanied by a partial or complete loss of protective reflexes, including loss of ability to independently maintain airway and respond purposefully to physical stimulation or verbal command, produced by a pharmacologic or non-pharmacologic method or combination thereof;

Intravenous Sedation/Analgesia: A medically controlled state of depressed consciousness while maintaining the patient’s airway, protective reflexes and the ability to respond to stimulation or verbal commands. It includes intravenous administration of sedative and/or analgesic agent(s) and appropriate monitoring.

Local Anesthesia: The loss of pain sensation over a specific area of the anatomy without loss of consciousness.

Non-Intravenous Conscious Sedation: A medically controlled state of depressed consciousness while maintaining the patient’s airway, protective reflexes and the ability to respond to stimulation or verbal commands. It includes administration of sedative and/or analgesic agent(s) by a route other than IV; (PO, PR, Intranasal, IM) and appropriate monitoring.

Regional Anesthesia: A term used for local anesthesia. See Local Anesthesia.

Analgesia
Loss of pain sensations without loss of consciousness.

Analgesic
I type of drug used to reduce pain

Ankylosis
A condition where two hard tissues are fused together. When this happens to a tooth and the alveolar bone, the tooth partially erupts.

Anterior teeth
The six upper or six lower front teeth

ANUG
An acronym for Acute Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis, commonly known as trench mouth or Vincent's disease, aggravated by stress and/or smoking

Apex
The tip of the root of a tooth

Apicoectomy
Surgical removal of the root tip to treat a dead tooth

Arch
Describes the alignment of the upper or lower teeth

Attrition
Loss of structure due to natural wear

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Base
cement placed under a dental restoration to insulate the pulp (nerve chamber)

Benign
The mild character of an illness or the non-malignant character of a neoplasm.

Bicuspid or pre-molar
Transitional teeth behind the cuspids

Bifurcation (trifurcation)
Juncture of two (three) roots in posterior teeth

Biopsy
Removal of a small piece of tissue for microscopic examination

Bite
Relationship of the upper and lower teeth on closure (occlusion)

Bite wings
Caries (decay) detection x-rays

Bleaching
Chemical or laser treatment of natural teeth for whitening effect

Block injection
Anaesthesia of a nerve trunk that covers a large area of the jaw; a mandibular block injection produce numbness of the lower jaw, teeth, half the tongue

Bonding
Adhesive dental restoration technique; a tooth-colored composite resin to repair and/or change the color or shape of a tooth

Bone resorption
Decrease in bone supporting the roots of teeth; a common result of periodontal (gum disease)

Braces
Devices used by orthodontists to gradually reposition teeth to a more favorable alignment

Bridge
Stationary dental prosthesis (appliance) fixed to teeth adjacent to a space; replaces one or more missing teeth, cemented or bonded to supporting teeth or implants adjacent to the space

Bruxism
Grinding or gnashing of the teeth, most commonly while the patient is asleep

Bruxomania
Persistent "nervous" grinding of the teeth while the patient is awake

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Calcium
Chemical element needed for healthy teeth, bones and nerves

Calculus
Hard residue, commonly known as "tarter," that forms on teeth due to inadequate
plaque control, often stained yellow or brown

Canal
A relatively narrow tubular passage or channel.

Root Canal: Space inside the root portion of a tooth containing pulp tissue.

Canker sore
Mouth sore appearing whitish, often with a red halo, of ten to fourteen day duration

Cantilever bridge
Fixed bridge that attaches to adjacent teeth only on one end

Cap
Common term for dental crown

Caries
Tooth decay or "cavities"

Cariogenic
Promotes tooth decay.

Cast
Reproduction of structures made by pouring plaster or stone into a mold

Cavity
Decay in tooth caused by caries; also referred to as carious lesion.

Cavitron
Dental tool that uses high frequency ultrasonic waves to clean teeth

Cellulitis
Soft tissue infection causing extensive, hard swelling, a potentially dangerous condition requiring immediate attention

Cementum
Hard tissue that covers the roots of teeth

Clasp
Device that retains a removable partial denture to stationary teeth

Cleaning
Removal of plaque and calculus (tarter) from teeth, generally above the gum line

Cleft Lip
Birth defect in which one or more fissures form in the upper lip, which takes place while the fetus is growing.

Cleft Palate
Congenital deformity resulting in lack of fusion of the soft and/or hard palate, either partial or complete.

Clenching
The clamping and pressing of the jaws and teeth together in centric occlusion, frequently associated with psychological stress or physical effort.

Composite resin
Material composed of plastic with small glass or ceramic particles; usually cured with filtered light or chemical catalyst

Conscious Sedation
A state in which patients are awake and can breathe and swallow on their own but are less aware of what is taking place.

Cosmetic (aesthetic) dentistry
Treatments performed to enhance appearance

Cross bite
Reverse biting relationship of upper and lower teeth; aka "under bite," as in Class III malocclusuion (prognathic jaw)

Crown

Anatomical Crown: That portion of tooth normally covered by, and including, enamel;

Abutment Crown: Artificial crown serving for the retention or support of a dental prosthesis;

Artificial Crown: Restoration covering or replacing the major part, or the
whole of the clinical crown of a tooth;

Clinical Crown: That portion of a tooth not covered by supporting tissues.

Crown Lengthening: A surgical procedure exposing more tooth for restorative purposes by apically positioning the gingival margin and/or removing supporting bone.

Curettage
Removal of diseased tissue from a periodintal pocket

Cusp
The pointed portion of the tooth

Cuspid or Canine
The four "eye teeth"

Cyst
A soft or hard tissue sac, hard or filled with fluid

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DDS
Doctor of Dental Surgery

Debridement
Removing foreign matter or dead tissue.

Decay
The lay term for carious lesions in a tooth; decomposition of tooth structure caused by toxins produced by bacteria

Deciduous teeth
Commonly called "baby teeth," the first set of (usually) twenty teeth

Dental implant
A (usually) titanium cylinder surgically placed in the bone of the upper or lower jaw to provide support for a dental restoration or appliance

Dental Prophylaxis
Scaling and polishing procedure performed to remove coronal plaque, calculus, and stains.

Dental Prosthesis
An artificial device that replaces one or more missing teeth.

Dentin
That part of the tooth that is beneath enamel and cementum.

Dentition
The teeth in the dental arch.

Permanent Dentition
Refers to the permanent teeth in the dental arch.
Deciduous Dentition
Refers to the deciduous or primary teeth in the dental arch.

Denture
An artificial substitute for natural teeth and adjacent tissues.

Denture Base
The part of the denture that holds the artificial teeth and fits over the gums.

Denturism
The production of dentures dispensed directly by laboratory technicians

Diastema
Space between teeth

Direct Restoration
A restoration fabricated inside the mouth.

Dry Mouth
See Xerostomia

Dry Socket
Localized inflammation of the tooth socket following extraction due to infection or loss of blood clot; osteitis.

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Edentulous
Toothless

Enamel
Hard tissue covering the portion of tooth above the gum line

Endodontist
Specialist who treats injuries, diseases and infections of the tooth pulp (nerve chamber)

Epidemiology
Study of the incidence of disease in a population

Eruption
Process of teeth protruding through the gums

Evaluation

Periodic Oral Evaluation: An evaluation performed on a patient of record to determine any changes in the patient’s dental and medical health status since a previous comprehensive or periodic evaluation. This may require interpretation of information acquired through additional diagnostic procedures. Report additional diagnostic procedures separately.

Limited Oral Evaluation: Problem focused: an evaluation limited to a specific oral health problem. This may require interpretation of information acquired through additional diagnostic procedures. Definitive procedures may be required on the same date as the evaluation. Typically, patients receiving this type of evaluation have been referred for a specific problem and/or present with dental emergencies, trauma, acute infection, etc.

Comprehensive Oral Evaluation: Typically used by a general dentist and/or a specialist when evaluating a patient comprehensively. It is a thorough evaluation and recording of the extraoral and intraoral hard and soft tissues. It may require interpretation of information acquired through additional diagnostic procedures. This would include the evaluation and recording of the patient’s dental and medical history and a general health assessment. It may typically include the evaluation and recording of dental caries, missing or unerupted teeth, restorations, occlusal relationships, periodontal conditions (including periodontal charting), hard and soft tissue anomalies, etc.

Comprehensive Periodontal Evaluation: Typically includes evaluation of
periodontal conditions, probing and charting, evaluation and recording of the
patient’s dental and medical history and general health assessment. It may
include the evaluation and recording of dental caries, missing or unerupted
teeth, restorations, occlusal relationships and oral cancer screening.

Detailed And Extensive Oral Evaluation—Problem-Focused, By Report:
A detailed and extensive problem-focused evaluation entails extensive diagnostic and cognitive modalities based on the findings of a comprehensive oral evaluation. Integration of more extensive diagnostic modalities to develop a treatment plan for a specific problem is required. The condition requiring this type of evaluation should be described and documented. Examples of conditions requiring this type of evaluation may include dentofacial anomalies, complicated perio-prosthetic conditions, complex temporomandibular dysfunction, facial pain of unknown origin, severe systemic diseases requiring multi-disciplinary consultation, etc.

Re-Evaluation—Limited, Problem Focused (established patient; not post-operative visit): This includes assessing the status of a previously existing condition. Examples of conditions requiring this type of evaluation may include: A traumatic injury where no treatment was rendered but the patient needs follow-up monitoring; Evaluation for undiagnosed continuing pain: A soft tissue lesion requiring follow-up evaluation.

Excision
Surgical removal of bone or tissue.

Exfoliate
process of shedding deciduous (baby) teeth

Exodontia
Practice of dental extractions

Explorer
Sharp instrument used to detect decay on the surface of teeth

Extraction
The process or act of removing a tooth or tooth parts.

Eyeteeth
The four upper and lower canine (cuspid) teeth

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Facing
Tooth colored overlay on the visible portion of a crown; may be acrylic, composite or porcelain

Filling
Restoration of lost tooth structure with metal, porcelain or resin materials

Fistula
Channel emanating pus from an infection site; a gum boil

Fixed Appliances
Orthodontic devices, commonly known as braces, that are bonded to the teeth to produce different tooth movements to help reposition teeth for orthodontic therapy.

Fixed Partial Denture
A fixed partial denture is a prosthetic replacement of one or more missing teeth cemented or attached to the abutment teeth or implant abutments adjacent to the space.

Fracture
The breaking of a part, especially of a bony structure; breaking of a tooth.

Flap surgery
Lifting of gum tissue to expose and clean underlying tooth and bone structures

Freeway space
Distance between the upper and lower teeth with the lower jaw in rest position

Forceps
Instrument used for removal of teeth

Forensic dentistry
Practice of gathering legal evidence for body identification or judicial issues

Fossa
Valley found on the sutrpface of posterior teeth

Full denture
Removable dental prosthesis (appliance) replacing all upper or lower teeth

Full mouth reconstruction
Extensive restorations of natural teeth with crowns and or fixed bridges to manage bite problems.

Frenectomy
Removal or reshaping of thin muscle tissue that attaches the upper or lower lips to the gum, or the tongue to the floor of the mouth

Full-Mouth X-Rays
A combination of 14 or more periapical and 4 bitewing films of the back teeth. This series of
x-rays reveals all the teeth (their crowns and roots) and the alveolar bone around them.

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General anesthesia
Controlled state of unconsciousness, accompanied by a partial or complete loss of pain sensation, protective reflexes, and the ability to respond purposefully to physical stimulation or verbal command

Geographic tongue
benign changes in the usual color and texture of tongue; does not require treatment

Gingiva
Gum tissue

Gingival Hyperplasia
An overgrowth of gingival tissues.

Gingivectomy
surgical removal of gum tissue

Gingivitis
inflammation of gum tissue

Gingivoplasty
Surgical procedure to reshape gingiva.

Graft
A piece of tissue or alloplastic material placed in contact with tissue to repair a defect or supplement a deficiency.

Guided tissue regeneration (GTR)
Procedure during flap surgery for periodontal disease in which a membrane is inserted between the alveolar bone and the bone graft to encourage the gum tissues to grow onto the alveolar bone.

Gum boil
See fistula.

Gum recession
exposure of dental roots due to shrinkage of the gums as a result of abrasion,
periodontal disease or surgery

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Halitosis
Bad breath of oral or gastrointestinal origin

Hematoma
Swelling of effused blood beneath tissue surface

Hydrogen peroxide
Disinfecting solution used in dental irrig