Dental Terms

Abscess:  An infection of a tooth, soft tissue, or bone.

Abutment: Tooth or teeth on either side of a missing tooth that support a fixed bridge or removable partial; also refers to a piece of metal or porcelain that is screwed on to an implant to allow a crown to be glued on.

Adjustment: A modification made upon a dental prosthesis after it has been completed and inserted into the mouth.

Amalgam: A common filling material used to repair cavities. The material, also known as “silver fillings,” contains mercury in combination with silver, tin, copper, and sometimes zinc.

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay: Decay in infants and children, most often affecting the upper front teeth, caused by liquids given and left clinging to the teeth for long periods (for example, in feeding bottles or pacifiers); also called “early childhood caries.”

Bleaching: Chemical treatment of natural teeth that uses peroxide to produce the whitening effect.

Bonding: A process by which dental materials are mechanically attached to teeth; this would include composite resin, porcelain, and metal.

Bone Resorption: Decrease in the amount of bone supporting the roots of teeth; a common result of periodontal (gum) disease.

Braces: Devices (bands, wires, ceramic appliances) put in place 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. Also called a fixed partial denture.

Cap: Common term for a dental crown.

Caries: Tooth decay or “cavities;” a dental infection caused by toxins produced by bacteria.

Conventional Denture: A denture that is ready for placement in the mouth about eight to 12 weeks after the teeth have been removed.

Crown: (1) the portion of a tooth above the gum line that is covered by enamel; (2) dental restoration covering all or most of the natural tooth; the artificial cap can be made of porcelain, composite, or metal and is cemented on top of the damaged tooth.

Conventional Denture: A denture that is ready for placement in the mouth about eight to 12 weeks after the teeth have been removed.

Cosmetic (Aesthetic) Dentistry: A branch of dentistry under which treatments are performed to enhance the color and shape of teeth.

Crown: (1) the portion of a tooth above the gum line that is covered by enamel; (2) dental restoration covering all or most of the natural tooth; the artificial cap can be made of porcelain, composite, or metal and is cemented on top of the damaged tooth.

Denture: A removable or fixed replacement of artificial teeth for missing natural teeth and surrounding tissues. Two types of removable dentures are available — complete and partial. Complete dentures are used when all the teeth are missing, while partial dentures are used when some natural teeth remain.

Dry Mouth: A condition in which the flow of saliva is reduced and there is not enough saliva to keep the mouth moist. Dry mouth can be the result of certain medications (such as antihistamines and decongestants), certain diseases (such as Sjögren’s syndrome, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes), certain medical treatments (such as head and neck radiation), as well as nerve damage, dehydration, tobacco use, and surgical removal of the salivary glands. Also called xerostomia.

Dry Socket: A common complication that occurs when either a blood clot has failed to form in an extracted tooth socket or else the blood clot that did form has been dislodged.

Extraction: Removal of a tooth.

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

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

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

Flossing: A thread-like material used to clean between the contact areas of teeth; part of a good daily oral hygiene plan.

Fluoride: A mineral that helps strengthen teeth enamel making teeth less susceptible to decay. Fluoride is ingested through food or water, is available in most toothpastes, or can be applied as a gel or liquid to the surface of teeth by a dentist.

Gingivectomy: Surgical removal of gum tissue.

Gingivoplasty: A procedure performed by periodontists to reshape the gum tissue.

Hygienist: A licensed, auxiliary dental professional who is both an oral health educator and clinician who uses preventive, therapeutic, and educational methods to control oral disease.

Hypersensitivity: A sharp, sudden painful reaction in teeth when exposed to hot, cold, sweet, sour, salty, chemical, or mechanical stimuli.

Immediate Denture: A complete or partial denture that is made in advance and can be positioned as soon as the natural teeth are removed.

Impacted Tooth: A tooth that is partially or completely blocked from erupting through the surface of the gum. An impacted tooth may push other teeth together or damage the bony structures supporting the adjacent tooth. Oftentimes, impacted teeth must be surgically removed.

Implant: A metal rod (usually made of titanium) that is surgically placed into the upper or lower jawbone where a tooth is missing; it serves as the tooth root and anchor for the crown, bridge, or denture that is placed over it.

Impression: Mold made of the teeth and soft tissues.

Incision and Drainage: Surgical incision of an abscess to drain pus.

Malocclusion: “Bad Bite” or misalignment of the teeth or jaws.

Molars: Three back teeth in each dental quadrant used for grinding food.

Mouth Guard: A device that is inserted into the mouth and worn over the teeth to protect them against impact or injury.

Night Guard: A removable appliance that fits over the upper or lower teeth used to prevent wear and temporomandibular damage caused by grinding or gnashing of the teeth during sleep.

Occlusion: The relationship of the upper and lower teeth when the jaws are closed.

Onlay: A type of restoration (filling) made of metal, porcelain, or acrylic that is more extensive than an inlay in that it covers one or more cusps. Onlays are sometimes called partial crowns.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: Surgical procedures on the mouth including extractions, removal of cysts or tumors, and repair of fractured jaws.

Oral Hygiene: Process of maintaining cleanliness of the teeth and related structures.

Orthodontics: Dental specialty that uses braces, retainers, and other dental devices to treat misalignment of teeth, restoring them to proper functioning. Find more information on how to straighten teeth.

Palate: Hard and soft tissue forming the roof of the mouth.

Pedodontics or Pediatric Dentistry: Dental specialty focusing on treatment of infants, children, and young adults.

Periapical: Region at the end of the roots of teeth.

Periodontitis: A more advanced stage of periodontal disease in which the inner layer of the gum and bone pull away from the teeth and form pockets and alveolar bone is destroyed.

Permanent Teeth: The teeth that replace the deciduous or primary teeth — also called baby teeth. There are (usually) 32 adult teeth in a complete dentition.

Plaque: A colorless, sticky film composed of undigested food particles mixed with saliva and bacteria that constantly forms on the teeth. Plaque left alone eventually turns into tartar or calculus and is the main factor in causing dental caries and periodontal disease.

Porcelain Crown: All porcelain restoration covering the coronal portion of tooth (above the gum line).

Porcelain Fused to Metal (PFM) Crown: Restoration with metal coping (for strength) covered by porcelain (for appearance).

Porcelain Inlay or Onlay: Tooth-colored restoration made of porcelain, cemented or bonded in place.

Post: Thin metal rod inserted into the root of a tooth after root canal therapy; provides retention for a cap that replaces lost tooth structure.

Pregnancy Gingivitis: Gingivitis that develops during pregnancy. The hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy — especially the increased level of progesterone — may make it easier for certain gingivitis-causing bacteria to grow and make gum tissue more sensitive to plaque and exaggerate the body’s response to the toxins (poisons) that result from plaque.

Prosthetics: A fixed or removable appliance used to replace missing teeth (for example, bridges, partials, and dentures).

Pulp: The living part of the tooth, located inside the dentin. Pulp contains the nerve tissue and blood vessels that supply nutrients to the tooth.

Restorations: Any replacement for lost tooth structure or teeth; for example, bridges, dentures, fillings, crowns, and implants.

Retainer: A removable appliance used to maintain teeth in a given position (usually worn at night).

Root: Tooth structure that connects the tooth to the jaw.

Root Canal Therapy: Procedure used to save an abscessed tooth in which the pulp chamber is cleaned out, disinfected, and filled with a permanent filling.

Saliva: Clear lubricating fluid in the mouth containing water, enzymes, bacteria, mucus, viruses, blood cells and undigested food particles.

Scaling and Root Planing: A deep-cleaning, nonsurgical procedure whereby plaque and tartar from above and below the gum line are scraped away (scaling) and rough spots on the tooth root are made smooth (planing).

Space Maintainer: Dental device that holds the space lost through premature loss of baby teeth.

Stains: Can be either extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic stain is located on the outside of the tooth surface originating from external substances such as tobacco, coffee, tea, or food; usually removed by polishing the teeth with an abrasive prophylaxis paste. Intrinsic stain originates from the ingestion of certain materials or chemical substances during tooth development, or from the presence of caries. This stain is permanent and cannot be removed.

Tartar: Common term for dental calculus, a hard deposit that adheres to teeth; produces rough surface that attracts plaque.

Tooth Whitening: A chemical or laser process to lighten the color of teeth.

Underbite: When the lower jaw protrudes forward causing the lower jaw and teeth to extend out beyond the upper teeth.

Veneer: A thin, custom-made shell of tooth-colored plastic or porcelain that is bonded directly to the front side of natural teeth to improve their appearance — for example, to replace lost tooth structure, close spaces, straighten teeth, or change color and/or shape.

Wisdom Teeth: Third (last) molars that usually erupt between ages 18 and 25.

X-rays: High frequency light (or radiation) that penetrates different substances with different rates and absorption. In dentistry, there are typically four types of X-rays: periapical, bite-wing, occlusal, and panoramic.