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Glossary of Terms |
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| Dental Terms D - H |
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| Deciduous |
First or “baby” teeth. |
| Dentatus screw post |
A post made of a brass like material often used for supporting temporary crowns. |
| Dentine |
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. |
Diastema |
Gap between front teeth. |
Difflam |
Antiseptic and anti inflammatory mouth rinse. |
| Distal |
Towards the back of the mouth. |
| DO |
A filling extending across the top and back of a tooth. |
| Dry Socket |
This is a condition that can occur after an extraction leading to a painful infection in the tooth socket. |
| Duraphat |
Varnish used to desensitise teeth. |
| Durelon |
Permanent dental cement. |
| Dycal |
| Sedative cement lining material used under a filling. |
Dyract |
Temporary filling material |
| Endomethasone |
| A formaldehyde material used in root fillings, it is irritant if it
goes through the root apex and although widely used by general dentists
it is not used by endodontists for this reason. |
| Elevator |
Dental instrument used to assist in the extraction of teeth or often roots by loosening them. |
| Exposure |
| A term applied to the penetration into the pulp of the tooth either by the progress of untreated decay or the dental drill. |
| Fissure sealing |
| The filling of the crevices in the surface of a premolar or molar tooth
with a filling material, this helps prevent decay starting. |
| Flagyl |
| Antibiotic specifically used in gum infections. |
| Furcation |
| The area where the roots divide in a tooth. If bone levels are at the furcation area the prognosis for a tooth is questionable. |
| Fuji |
| Cement: used for permanently cementing crowns and bridges. |
| Full Lower |
| A complete lower denture where all the teeth have been extracted. |
| Gingivectomy |
Removal of gum pocket or excess gum surgically. |
| Glass Ionomer |
| Restorative material that can be used as a lining under fillings or as
a filling material in positions where compressive or abrasive forces
are light. |
| GP |
Gutta percha used to obdurate root canals. |
| Hemisectomy |
Removal of the (infected) root of a multi rooted tooth. |
| Hypocal |
A material widely used for sterilising the root canal, it contains calcium hydroxide. |
| Hypoplasia |
Developmental defect of the teeth. Often manifests itself as spots or discoloured areas on the teeth. |
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