Condensed Dental Glossary
We have listed a condensed dental glossary for you to become familiar with terms associated with dentistry.
ABSCESS — Acute or chronic, localized inflammation, with a collection of pus, associated with tissue destruction and swelling.
ABUTMENT — A tooth or implant used to support a prosthesis.
ALVEOLAR — This is referring to the bone to which a tooth is attached.
AMALGAM — Alloy used in direct dental restorations.
ANALGESIA — Loss of pain sensations without loss of consciousness.
ANESTHESIA — Partial or total absence of sensation to stimuli.
ANTERIOR — In reference to the teeth and tissues located towards the front of the mouth — maxillary and mandibular incisors and canines.
APEX — The tip or end of the root end of the tooth.
BENIGN — The mild character of an illness or the non-malignant character of a neoplasm.
BICUSPID — A premolar tooth; a tooth with two cusps.
BILATERAL — Pertaining to, or occurring on, both sides.
BIOPSY — The process of removing tissue for histologic evaluation.
BITEWING RADIOGRAPH – An interproximal view radiograph of the coronal portion of the tooth.
BONDING — This is the process by which two or more components are made integral by mechanical and/or chemical adhesion at their interface.
BRIDGE — A fixed partial denture which is a prosthetic replacement of one or more missing teeth cemented or attached to the abutment teeth or implant abutments adjacent to the space; removable partial denture (removable bridge) is a prosthetic replacement of one or more missing teeth on a framework that can be removed by the patient.
BRUXISM — Basically the parafunctional grinding of the teeth.
CALCULUS — A hard deposit of mineralized plaque, which is attached to crowns and/or roots of teeth.
CANAL — A relatively narrow tubular passage or channel; space inside the root portion of a tooth containing pulp tissue; the passage which transmits vessels and nerves through the jaw to branches that distributes them to the teeth.
CANTILEVER EXTENSION – This is part of a fixed prosthesis that is supported at one end only.
CARIES — Common term used for tooth decay.
CAVITY — Decay in tooth caused by caries; also referred to as carious lesion.
CEMENTUM – The hard connective tissue covering the tooth root.
CLEFT PALATE – A congenital deformity resulting in lack of fusion of the soft and/or hard palate, either partial or complete.
COMPOSITE — A dental restorative material made up of disparate or separate parts.
CORONAL – Referring to the crown of a tooth.
CROWN Anatomical crown — Portion of tooth normally covered by, and including, enamel. Abutment crown – An artificial crown serving for the retention or support of a dental prosthesis. Artificial crown – The restoration covering or replacing the major part, or the entire clinical crown of a tooth. Clinical crown — 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 — The scraping or cleaning the walls of a cavity or gingival pocket.
CUSP — A pointed or rounded eminence on or near the masticating surface of a tooth.
CYST – A pathological cavity containing fluid or soft matter.
DECAY — Term for carious lesions in a tooth; decomposition of tooth structure.
DENTAL PROPHYLAXIS – The scaling and polishing procedure performed to remove coronal plaque, calculus, and stains.
DENTIN — Part of the tooth that is beneath enamel and cementum.
DENTITION — The teeth in the dental arch. DENTURE — An artificial substitute for natural teeth and adjacent tissues.
DENTURE BASE — Part of a denture that makes contact with soft tissue and retains the artificial teeth.
DIASTEMA — A space, such as one between two adjacent teeth in the same dental arch.
DISPLACED TOOTH — a partial evulsion of a tooth
DISTAL – Pertaining toward the back of the dental arch
DRY SOCKET – A localized inflammation of the tooth socket following extraction due to infection or loss of blood clot.
EDENTULOUS – Meaning without teeth.
ENAMEL – The hard calcified tissue covering dentin of the crown of tooth.
ENDODONTIST – A dental specialist who limits practice to treating disease and injuries of the pulp and associated perpendicular conditions.
EQUILIBRATION — The reshaping of the occlusal surfaces of teeth to create harmonious contact relationships between the upper and lower teeth.
EVULSION – A complete separation of the tooth from its socket due to trauma.
EXCISION – The surgical removal of bone or tissue.
EXOSTOSIS – An overgrowth of bone.
EXTRACORONAL – The outside the crown of a tooth.
EXTRAORAL – Pertaining to outside the oral cavity.
FACIAL — Surface of a tooth directed toward the face and opposite the lingual surface.
FILLING — Term used for the restoring of lost tooth structure by using materials such as metal, alloy, plastic, or cement.
FORAMEN – A natural opening into or through bone.
FURCATION — The anatomic area of a multirooted tooth where the roots diverge.
GINGIVA – The soft tissues overlying the crowns of unerupted teeth and encircling the necks of those that have erupted.
GINGIVITIS – The inflammation of gingival tissue without loss of connective tissue.
GINGIVOPLASTY – A surgical procedure to reshape gingiva to create a normal, functional form.
HEMISECTION – The surgical separation of a multirooted tooth so that one root and/or the overlaying portion of the crown can be surgically removed.
IMPACTED TOOTH — An unerupted or partially erupted tooth that is positioned against another tooth, bone, or soft tissue so that complete eruption is unlikely.
IMPLANT — material inserted or grafted into tissue; dental implant — device specially designed to be placed surgically within or on the mandibular or maxillary bone as a means of providing for dental replacement.
INLAY — An intracoronal restoration.
INTERPROXIMAL – The area between the adjoining surfaces of adjacent teeth.
INTRACORONAL – This is referring to 'within' the crown of a tooth.
INTRAORAL — Inside of the mouth.
KERATIN — a protein present in all cuticular structures of the body, such as hair, epidermis, horns, and the organic matrix of the enamel of the teeth.
LABIAL — Pertaining to or around the lip.
LESION — An injury or wound; area of diseased tissue.
LINGUAL — Pertaining to or around the tongue.
MALAR — Pertaining to the cheekbone.
MALIGNANT – To have the properties of dysplasia, invasion, and metastasis.
MALOCCLUSION – The improper alignment of biting or chewing surfaces of upper and lower teeth.
MANDIBLE – The lower jaw.
MARYLAND BRIDGE – The trade name that has become synonymous with any resin bonded fixed partial denture (bridge).
MAXILLA — The upper jaw.
MESIAL — Toward the midline of the dental arch.
MOLAR — Teeth posterior to the premolars on either side of the jaw; grinding teeth, having large crowns and broad chewing surfaces.
MUCOUS MEMBRANE – The lining of the oral cavity as well as other canals and cavities of the body.
OBTURATOR — A disc or plate, which closes an opening.
OCCLUSION – The contact between biting or chewing surfaces of maxillary and mandibular teeth.
ONLAY — The restoration made outside the oral cavity that replaces a cusp or cusps of the tooth, which is then luted to the tooth.
OPERCULUM — Flap of tissue over an unerupted or partially erupted tooth.
ORAL — Pertaining to the mouth.
ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGEON — Dental specialist whose practice is limited to the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries, deformities, defects and esthetic aspects of the oral and maxillofacial regions.
ORAL PATHOLOGY — Specialty of dentistry and pathology concerned with recognition, diagnosis, investigation and management of diseases of the oral cavity, jaws, and adjacent structures.
ORTHODONTIST — Dental specialist whose practice is limited to the interception and treatment of malocclusion of the teeth and their surrounding structures.
ORTHOGNATHIC – The functional relationship of maxilla and mandible.
OSTEOPLASTY – A surgical procedure that modifies the configuration of bone.
OSTEOTOMY – The surgical cutting of bone.
OVERDENTURE – A prosthetic device that is supported by retained teeth roots or implants.
PALATE — The hard and soft tissues forming the roof of the mouth that separates the oral and nasal cavities.
PALLIATIVE – An action that relieves pain but is not curative.
PARTIAL DENTURE — Refers to the prosthetic device that replaces the missing teeth on a framework that can be removed by the patient.
PEDIATRIC DENTIST — Dental specialist whose practice is limited to treatment of children from birth through adolescence.
PERIAPICAL — Area surrounding the end of the tooth root.
PERICORONAL – Area around the crown of a tooth.
PERIODONTAL — Pertaining to the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth.
PERIODONTAL DISEASE – The inflammatory process of the gingival tissues and/or periodontal membrane of the teeth.
PERIODONTIST — Dental specialist whose practice is limited to the treatment of diseases of the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth.
PERIODONTITIS – The inflammation and loss of the connective tissue of the supporting or surrounding structure of teeth with loss of attachment.
PERIRADICULAR – To surround a portion of the root of the tooth.
PLAQUE — Substance that accumulates on teeth composed largely of bacteria and bacterial derivatives.
PONTIC — The term used for the artificial tooth on a fixed partial denture.
POSTERIOR – Referring to teeth and tissues towards the back of the mouth.
PRIMARY DENTITION — First set of teeth.
PROPHYLAXIS – The scaling and polishing procedure performed to remove coronal plaque, calculus and stains.
PROSTHESIS – An artificial replacement of any part of the body
PROSTHODONTIST — Dental specialist whose practice is limited to the restoration of the natural teeth and/or the replacement of missing teeth with artificial substitutes.
PULP — Blood vessels and nerve tissue that occupies the pulp cavity of a tooth.
PULP CAVITY — The space within a tooth which contains the pulp.
PULPECTOMY – The complete removal of pulp tissue from the root canal space.
PULPITIS – The inflammation of the dental pulp.
QUADRANT — One of the four equal sections into which the dental arches can be divided.
RADICULAR — Pertaining to the root.
RADIOGRAPH — X-ray.
ROOT CANAL — The portion of the pulp cavity inside the root of a tooth.
ROOT CANAL THERAPY — Treatment of disease and injuries of the pulp and associated periradicular conditions.
SCALING – The removal of plaque, calculus, and stain from teeth.
SEXTANT — One of the six relatively equal sections into which a dental arch can be divided.
SPLINT — A device used to support, protect, or immobilize oral structures that have been loosened, replanted, fractured or traumatized
STOMATITIS – The inflammation of the membranes of the mouth.
TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT (TMJ) — Connecting hinge mechanism between the mandible and base of the skull.
TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT
DISFUNCTION – The abnormal functioning of temporomandibular joint.
TRISMUS – The restricted ability to open the mouth.
UNERUPTED — Tooth/teeth that have not penetrated into the oral cavity.
UNILATERAL — Pertaining to or affecting one side.
VENEER — Construction of crowns or pontics, a layer of tooth-colored material attached to the surface by direct fusion, cementation, or mechanical retention; also refers to a restoration that is luted to the tooth.
VESTIBULOPLASTY – One or all of a series of surgical procedures designed to increase relative alveolar ridge height.
XEROSTOMIA — The decrease in salivary secretion that produces dryness of the oral mucosa and/or cervical caries.
YEAST — Term for a fungus.
ZYGOMATIC BONE – The quadrangular bone on either side of face that forms the cheek prominence.