Have you ever had your dentist tell you that you had plaque on the cusp of your tooth and thought “what the heck is the cusp?” Here we define some of the most commonly used dental terms that you’ll hear your dentist say so that next time you visit your dentist, you’ll have a much better understanding of the terminology.
Abrasion
Tooth wear caused by forces other than chewing such as holding objects between the teeth or improper brushing.
Amalgam
An alloy used in direct dental restorations.
Analgesia
Loss of pain sensations without loss of consciousness.
General Anesthesia: A controlled state of unconsciousness, accompanied by a partial or complete loss of protective reflexes, including loss of ability to independently maintain airway and respond purposefully to physical stimulation or verbal command, produced by a pharmacologic or non-pharmacologic method.
Local Anesthesia: The loss of pain sensation over a specific area of the anatomy without loss of consciousness.
Bicuspid
A premolar tooth; a tooth with two cusps.
Bilateral
Occurring on, or pertaining to, both right and left sides
Bonding
A composite resin applied to a tooth to change its shape and/or color. Bonding also refers to how a filling, orthodontic appliance or some fixed partial dentures are attached to teeth.
Bruxism
Constant grinding or clenching of teeth during the day or while asleep.
Calculus
Hard deposit of mineralized material adhering to crowns and/or roots of teeth.
Cavity
Decay in tooth caused by caries; also referred to as carious lesion.
Cusp
The pointed portion of the tooth.
Decay
The lay term for carious lesions in a tooth; decomposition of tooth structure.
Dentin
That part of the tooth that is beneath enamel and cementum.
Dry Socket
Localized inflammation of the tooth socket following extraction due to infection or loss of blood clot.
Enamel
Hard calcified tissue covering dentin of the crown of tooth.
Eruption
When a tooth emerges or pushes through the gums.
Excision
Surgical removal of bone or tissue.
Extraction
The process or act of removing a tooth or tooth parts.
Filling
A lay term used for the restoring of lost tooth structure by using materials such as metal, alloy, plastic or porcelain.
Gingivitis
Inflammation of gingival tissue without loss of connective tissue.
Graft
A piece of tissue or alloplastic material placed in contact with tissue to repair a defect or supplement a deficiency.
Impacted Tooth
An unerupted or partially erupted tooth that is positioned against another tooth, bone, or soft tissue so that complete eruption is unlikely.
Molar
Teeth posterior to the premolars (bicuspids) on either side of the jaw; grinding teeth, having large crowns and broad chewing surfaces.
Palate
The hard and soft tissues forming the roof of the mouth that separates the oral and nasal cavities.
Palliative
Action that relieves pain but is not curative.
Periapical X-Ray
An x-ray that shows several entire teeth (crowns and roots) and includes a small amount of the periapical bone (surrounding the root tips).
Periodontal
Pertaining to the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth.
Plaque
A soft sticky substance that accumulates on teeth composed largely of bacteria and bacterial derivatives.
Pulp
Connective tissue that contains blood vessels and nerve tissue which occupies the pulp cavity of a tooth.
Root Canal
The portion of the pulp cavity inside the root of a tooth; the chamber within the root of the tooth that contains the pulp.
Scaling
Removal of plaque, calculus, and stain from teeth.
Unerupted
Tooth/teeth that have not penetrated into the oral cavity
Veneer
In the construction of crowns or pontics, a layer of tooth-colored material, usually, but not limited to, composite, porcelain, ceramic or acrylic resin, attached to the surface by direct fusion, cementation, or mechanical retention; also refers to a restoration that is luted to the facial surface of a tooth.
Leave a Reply