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Glossary of Terms |
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Dental Terms A - C |
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Acid etch |
A procedure for bonding fillings or other dental restorations to a tooth by means of chemical bonding. |
Abutment |
Supporting part of a bridge. |
Adhesive bridge |
Tooth replacement by means of bridgework where the missing tooth (pontic) is kept in place by two “wings” glued to adjacent teeth. This type of bridge requires minimal tooth preparation but is less retentive than the prepared bridge where adjacent teeth are crowned. |
Alvogel |
A material placed in a post extraction socket to treat infection (dry socket). |
Amalgam core |
This is a core of amalgam placed in a tooth and used to support a crown. |
| Apicectomy |
| A surgical procedure that can be used in cases of failing root treatments or where it is impossible to access the root canal. It involves removing the root apex by a surgical approach. |
| Apexit |
Root canal sealer. |
| Articulator |
A device that reproduces the way teeth meet and move. |
| Articulating Paper |
Blue or red paper that is placed between the teeth to show high spots. |
| Abutment |
Supporting part of a bridge. |
| Apical area |
| The area around the tooth apex. An area of translucency may indicate bone loss caused by infection. |
| Aquacem |
A dental cement. |
| Bitewing |
| Small radiograph showing the biting surfaces of the teeth. |
| Biteguard |
Plastic shield used to protect teeth form stress, usually worn at night. |
| BPE (CPITN) |
| Basic periodontal index. The BPE score is a measurement on a scale of 0-4 of the health of the gingival and periodontal tissues around the teeth. A scale of 0 indicates absence of disease while a score of 1 is the lowest score which records the presence of disease around any tooth in the sextant and implies that at some site there was evidence of bleeding after gentle probing but there was no pocketing present deeper than 3 mm. Scores higher than 2 are indicative of more severe levels of disease. |
| Bite raising appliance |
| This is an appliance usually of a removable design that covers the biting surfaces of the teeth and separates them. It assists with the relief of TMJ problems. |
| Bonded Crown BPC |
| A crown consisting of a gold shell overlaid with porcelain to give an aesthetic appearance. |
| Bone Augmentation |
| The addition of bone or a grafting material to increase the depth of bone prior to implant surgery. |
| Bridgework |
| The replacement of a missing tooth by means of fixing a false tooth (pontic) to crowns fixed to adjacent teeth (abutments). |
| Buccal |
| Outer side away from the centre of the mouth. |
| Carious exposure |
Where the decay has entered the pulp (nerve) of a tooth. This will lead to an infection. |
| Cantilever Bridge |
| This term refers to a false tooth (pontic) where only one tooth (abutment) acts as a support. |
| Cavit |
Temporary filling material. |
| Cervical |
The marginal edge (of a crown). |
| Chemfil |
A dental material used for aesthetic fillings. |
| Chronic marginal gingivitis |
Where there is chronic inflammation of the gum margins around the teeth. |
| Chrome cobalt (denture) |
| This is a denture that is of a skeleton design made in chrome cobalt. It is stronger and more comfortable to wear than a plastic type denture and less harmful to gum tissues. |
| Chronic adult periodontitis |
This is a breakdown of the periodontal tissues caused by a combination of infection and inflammation of gingivitis into the deep tissues of the periodontal membrane. It is characterised by breakdown of periodontal fibre bundles at the cervical margin, resorption of alveolar bone and apical proliferation of junctional epithelium beyond the amelocemental junction. The progression does not take place in a linea fashion but varies in speed of breakdown not only between individuals but also within different sites in the mouth. It also occurs quite often in bursts of activity followed by quiescent phases. Diagnosis is based on probing to elicit bleeding, measurement of pocket depths (which is the gap between the gum and the attachment to the tooth surface measured in millimetres) and radiographs are also used to check bone levels. Treatment is by fine scaling, root planing, local medicaments, careful attention to oral hygiene, various advanced forms of surgical correction are also often used. |
| Composite |
White filling material. |
| Class One (occlusion) |
Refers to a normal biting pattern between upper and lower teeth. |
| Close Bite |
Where the opposing teeth are in tight contact, usually applied to the upper and lower front teeth. |
| Core |
Used to build up a broken down tooth to receive a crown. |
| Coronal |
Towards the crown of a tooth. |
| Corsodyl |
Antiseptic mouth rinse. |
| Cresophene |
A formaldehyde containing material, used in root canal treatments for disinfection purposes, but now being replaced by less astringent substitutes. |
| Crown |
Cap |
| Chrome cobalt (denture) |
| This is a denture that is of a skeleton design made in chrome cobalt. It is stronger and more comfortable to wear than a plastic type denture and less harmful to gum tissues. |
| CT Scan |
| A sectional x ray scan used mainly in implant diagnostic procedures. These scans can cost up to £500. |
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