DENTAL TECHNOLOGY DICTIONARY
Terms commonly used in dental technology.
Molar
A grinding tooth at the back of the mouth.
Mouth Guard
a soft, plastic, intraoral appliance that covers the palate and all the occlusal surfaces of the teeth. It is worn in contact sports to limit damage to tissues of the mouth, lips, and other oral surfaces.
N
Night Guard
A removable, custom-fitted plastic appliance that fits between the upper and lower teeth to prevent them from grinding against each other.
O
Occlusion
The alignment of the teeth of the upper and lower jaws when brought together.
Onlay
a cast metal restoration that overlays cusps and lends strength to the restored tooth.
Open Bite
a misalignment of teeth and/or incorrect relation between the teeth of the two dental arches.
Orthodontics
The treatment of irregularities in the teeth (esp. of alignment and occlusion) and jaws, including the use of braces.
Overdenture
A non-fixed dental appliance applied to a small number of natural teeth or implants.
Overjet
the extent of vertical overlap of the maxillary central incisors over the mandibular central incisors
P
Palate
The roof of the mouth.
Partial Denture
a denture replacing one or more teeth in a dental arch.
Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns
ceramic crowns with a metal substructure.
Pontic
the portion of a dental bridge that substitutes for an absent tooth.
Porcelain see ceramic
Post and Core
a dental restoration used to sufficiently build-up tooth structure for future restoration with a crown when there is not enough tooth structure to properly retain the crown, due to loss of tooth structure to either decay or fracture. Post and cores are therefore referred to as foundation restorations.
Posterior
Further back in position; of or nearer the rear or hind end.
Prosthesis
An artificial device used to replace a missing body part, such as a tooth.
Provisional Crown/Bridge
temporary crown worn over the patient’s prepped tooth/teeth while awaiting the permanent crown’s completion.
Q
Quadrant
One half of the maxillary dental arch is one quadrant of the combined dental arches.
R
Reline
plastic buildup of denture to compensate for bone loss.
Restoration
partial or complete reconstruction of a tooth, or the device used in its place
Root
the part of a tooth that is embedded in the jaw and serves as support.
Root Canal
Endodontic therapy is a sequence of
treatment for the pulp of a tooth whose end result is the elimination of infection and protection of the decontaminated tooth from future microbial invasion.
S
Steel Crown
most frequently used to restore back teeth in pediatric dentistry.
Splint
the joining of two or more teeth with a rigid unit by means of fixed or removable restorations.
T
Telescopic Crown/Bridge
an artificial crown constructed to fit over a coping (framework). The coping can be another crown, a bar or any other suitable rigid support for the dental prosthesis
U
V
Veneer see laminate
W
Wisdom Tooth
One of four rearmost molars on each side of the upper and lower jaw in humans. Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt, typically in early adulthood.