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.
Allergy – Hypersensitivity reaction.
Amalgam – A silver filling material.
Anesthetic – An agent that causes temporary loss of sensation – feeling.
Apex – The end of the root.
Bleaching – Whitening of teeth.
Bridge – A prosthesis which is fixed inside the mouth to replace missing teeth.
Bruxism – Teeth grinding.
Caries – Tooth decay.
Clasp – A metal arm extended from a removable partial denture. It helps to hold onto natural tooth structure and thus provide anchorage for the denture.
Composite – white filling.
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.
Denture (immediate, complete, partial) – An artificial object to replace missing teeth and their neighboring structures. There are many different types of denture to satisfy different treatment requirements and patient preferences.
Endodontics – A department of dentistry involving diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental pulp ( where the nerves and blood vessels are inside the tooth).
Flipper – A temporary denture to replace missing teeth during the waiting period for long term treatment.
Floss – A thread / tape that goes in between teeth for cleaning.
Fluoride – A compound of fluorine (an element) which be put in different forms such as water, gels and rinses to strength teeth.
Fluoride treatment – teeth treatment with fluoride agents like gel or rinse. It helps to prevent tooth decay.
Framework – A metal skeleton of a removable partial denture to support the false teeth and the plastic attachments.
Gingivitis – The mildest form of gum disease> inflammation of gum. The earliest sign is bleeding gum.
Impaction – A condition where a tooth is not able to come in normally or is stuck underneath another tooth or bone.
Implant – A device ( usually „screw – like“) put in the jaw bone to support or false tooth, a denture or a bridge.
Mouth guard – A device to be work in the mouth. Depending on the deign of it, it prevents, injury to teeth and / or jaw during teeth grinding or sport events.
Night guard – A mouth guard which is worn at night time.
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.
Periapical – The surrounding of the bottom of the root of a tooth.
Periodontics – A speciality of dentistry involves diagnosis, prevent, and treatment of gum (periodontal) disease.
Pontic – The false tooth in a bridge or denture to replace the missing tooth.
Post – A big pin which can be made with different materials such as metal or carbon. Its function usually is to support a big buildup on a tooth.
Prosthesis – An artificial part to replace missing teeth.
Pulp – The innermost part of a tooth. It contains nerves and blood vessels inside a tooth.
Pulpectomy – The removal of the whole pulp inside a tooth.
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 and blood vessels inside the tooth.
Root canal treatment – A treatment for the root canal inside the tooth.
Scaling – The action of cleaning teeth below the gum line.
Splint – An appliance or a material to prevent movement of a mobile part.
Veneer – A layer of tooth – colored material (can be porcelain, composite or ceramics) that attaches to the front of the tooth. It is usually used to improve the appearance of the tooth.