A
- Abrasion - Removal of tooth structure due to rubbing and scraping (e.g. incorrect brushing method)
- Abscess - A collection of pus. Usually forms because of infection.
- Abutment - A tooth or tooth structure which is responsible for the anchorage of a bridge or a denture.
- Amalgam - A silver filling material.
- Anesthetic - An agent that causes temporary loss of sensation/feeling.
- Anterior - The front position.
- Apex - The end of the root.
- Asepsis - No micro-organism.
- Attrition - Wear of teeth due to activities such as chewing.
B
- Bitewing - A kind of dental x-ray which is taken with the teeth bite together. The main function of this kind of x-ray is to detect cavity in between teeth and height of bone support.
- Bleaching - Whitening of teeth.
- Bridge - A prosthesis which is fixed inside the mouth to replace missing teeth.
- Bruxism - Teeth grinding.
C
- Canine - The third tooth from the middle of the jaw. There are totally 4 of them. They are the longest teeth in human.
- Caries - Tooth decay.
- Cavity - A hole on the tooth.
- Crown (porcelain/plastic/metal) - A crown is almost like a "cap" on a tooth. It covers the tooth partially or totally above the gum to restore its function and outlook.
D
- Decay - The rotten part of the tooth.
- Dentistry - A branch of medicine that involves diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of any disease concern about teeth, oral cavity, and associated structures.
- Desensitization - A procedure to reduce the sensitivity of teeth.
- Diastema - The space in between two adjacent teeth.
E
- Edentulous - No teeth.
- Endodontics - A department of dentistry involves diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental pulp (where the nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth).
- Eruption - The process of the tooth appearing in the mouth.
- Excision - The action of cutting something off.
F
- Filling - A restoration places on a tooth to restore its function and appearance.
- Floss - A thread/tape goes in between teeth for cleaning.
- Fluoride - A compound of fluorine (an element) which be put in different forms such as water, gels, rinses to strengthen up teeth.
G
- Gingivitis - The mildest form of gum disease: inflammation of gum. The earliest sign is bleeding gum.
H
- Hemorrhage - Bleeding
- Homeostasis - Stop bleeding.
I
- Impaction - A condition that a tooth is not able to come in normally or stuck underneath another tooth or bone.
- Implant - A device (usually "screw-like") put in the jaw bone to support a false tooth, a denture or a bridge.
- Inlay - A restoration (usually is gold, composite or ceremics) fabricated in the lab cements on tooth like a missing puzzle. It helps to restore the normal function and outlook of the tooth.
JK
L
- Lingual - The side of the tooth towards the tongue.
M
- Mesial - The side of the tooth towards the middle of the jaw.
- Molar - The last 3 upper and lower teeth on both side of the mouth.
- Mouthguard - A device to be worn in the mouth. Depends on the design of it, it prevents injury on teeth and/or jaw during teeth grinding or sport events.
N
- Nightguard - A mouthguard which is worn at night time.
O
- Occlusal - The biting surface of the back teeth.
- Occlusion - The way how the upper and lower teeth close together.
- Onlay - A restoration covers the entire biting surface of a tooth.
- Orthodontics - A special field in dentistry which involves diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of bite abnormalities or facial irregularities.
P
- Palate - The roof of the mouth.
- Posterior - Locate at the back.
- Premolar - The two teeth located in front of the molar.
- Prosthodontics - A specialty of dentistry involves diagnosis, treatment planning, and fabrication of artificial parts to replace missing teeth and their associated structures.
- Pulp - The inner most part of a tooth. It contains nerves and blood vessels inside a tooth.
Q
R
- Restoration - An item a dentist uses to restore the normal function of a tooth or an area in the mouth. It can be a filling, a crown, a bridge, etc.
- Retainer - A device used for maintaining the position of teeth in the jaw in orthodontic treatment.
- Retreatment - The process of repeating the root canal treatment.
- Root - The bottom part of tooth. It anchors the tooth to its supporting units.
- Root canal - The canal that runs inside the root of the tooth. It contains the nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth.
S
- Scaling - The action of cleaning of teeth below the gumline.
- Sealant - A thin layer of plastic-like material covers the grooves and pits on a tooth to prevent cavity.
- Splint - An appliance or a material to prevent movement of a mobile part.
T
- Torus - An outgrowth on bone. It usually develops on the roof of the mouth or around the premolar area on the lower jaw.
U
V
- Veneer - A layer of tooth-colored material (can be porcelain, composite, or ceramics) attaches to the front of the tooth. It is usually for better outlook of the tooth.
W
- Wisdom tooth - The eighth (also the last tooth) tooth from the middle of the jaw.
X
- Xerostomia - Dry mouth
YZ
