Glossary

Warrnambool Glossary of Terms

• Appliance: Any removable dental restoration or orthodontic device.
• Abscess: Acute or chronic localized inflammation, probably with a collection of pus, associated with tissue destruction and, frequently, swelling; usually secondary to infection.
• Abutment: A tooth or implant fixture used as a support for prosthesis.
• Base: Cement placed under a dental restoration to insulate the pulp (nerve chamber).
• Bite: Relationship of the upper and lower teeth on closure (occlusion).
• Braces: Devices used to gradually reposition teeth to a more favorable alignment.
• Calcium: Chemical element needed for healthy teeth, bones and nerves.
• Calculus: Hard residue, commonly known as tartar, that forms on teeth due to inadequate plaque control. Calculus teeth often are stained yellow or brown.
• Canine teeth: There are two upper and land two ower canine (cuspid) teeth.
• Deciduous Teeth: Commonly called “baby teeth,” the first set of teeth.
• Dentin: Inner layer of tooth structure, immediately under the surface enamel.
• Dentition: The arrangement of natural or artificial teeth in the mouth.
• Diastema: A space between teeth.
• Enamel : Enamel: Hard tissue covering the portion of tooth above the gum line
• Eruption: The process of teeth protruding through the gums.
• Extraction: Removal of a tooth.
• Fistula: The channel that emanates pus from an infection site, which is a gum boil.
• Forceps: An instrument used for removal of teeth.
• Fossa: The valley found on the surface of posterior teeth.
• Gingiva: Gum tissue.
• Gum Recession: The exposure of dental roots due to shrinkage of the gums as a result of abrasion, periodontal disease or surgery.
• Halitosis: Bad breath of oral or gastrointestinal origin.
• Hematoma: The swelling of effused blood beneath tissue surface.
• Implant: An artificial device that replaces the tooth root and may anchor an artificial tooth, bridge or denture.
• Interocclusal: The space between upper and lower teeth.
• Jacket: The crown for a front tooth, usually made of porcelain.
• Lesion: Injury of bodily tissue due to infection, trauma or neoplasm.
• Laminate: A thin plastic or porcelain veneer produced in a dental laboratory and then bonded to a tooth.
• Malocclusion : Misalignment of upper and lower teeth.
• Mandible: The lower jaw.
• Margin: The interface between a restoration and tooth structure.
• Maxilla: The upper jaw.
• Nerve: The tissue that conveys sensation, temperature and position information to the brain.
• Night Guard: An acrylic appliance used to prevent wear and damage to the temporomandibular joint caused by the grinding or gnashing of teeth during sleep
• Occlusion: The relationship of the upper and lower teeth upon closure.
• Onlay: A laboratory-produced restoration covering one or more cusps of a tooth.
• Osseous: Boney.
• Overbite: A vertical overlap of the front teeth.
• Restoration: The replacement of a portion of a damaged tooth.
• Retained Root: The partial root structure remaining in the jaw after extraction or fracture of a natural tooth.
• Root: The tooth structure that connects the tooth to the jaw.