Dental exam: an evaluation of the condition of the mouth, including the teeth, gingivae, tongue and palatal areas. No exam is complete without a set of x-rays

X-rays: digital pictures that can detect caries or other defects deep within the walls of teeth

Enamel: the outer (visible) layer of a tooth

Dentin: the inner (directly beneath the enamel) layer of a tooth

Pulp: the core part of a tooth (within the dentin) made of blood vessels and a nerve

Gingivae: the gums, the tissue surrounding the tooth

Bone: the underlying tissue beneath the gingivae anchoring each tooth

Caries: a decalcification/demineralization of the enamel due to bacteria's acid by-products, also called cavity

FMGT: Full Mouth Gum Treatment, a dental cleaning consisting usually of using an ultrasonic machine (cavitron) and the use of scraping instrument (scalers) to remove the plaque

Scaling and Root Planning: a deep (below the gum line) cleaning to remove the plaque or calculus attached to the teeth

Plaque: bacterial by-products including food particles that attach to teeth

Calculus: plaque that has hardened over time

Amalgam filling: a mixture of different alloys/metals including mercury to fill a tooth that had a cavity

Composite filling: a white resin used to fill a cavity

Pulp cap: placing a medication on a pin point exposed nerve (direct pulp cap) or very close to a nerve (indirect pulp cap)

Root Canal Therapy: RCT, removing the pulp usually due to an infection caused by a deep cavity or trauma to the tooth. Once removed, the space of the pulp (canal) is then filled with an inert rubbery material (Gutta Percha). A tooth that has had a root canal is "dead" and becomes very brittle and should get restored with a crown.

Crown: a cap placed over a tooth damaged due to a large fracture, large cavity or a root canal. Crowns can be made out of gold or porcelain. Crowns are fabricated by a laboratory.

Inlay: a filling made of gold or porcelain fabricated by a laboratory.

Onlay: a partial crown that only covers some part of a tooth. Usually done when a filling is not recommended due to the size to restore the tooth.

Impacted tooth: a tooth being impeded by another tooth from surfacing out of the gums.

Partial impaction: part of the impacted tooth is peeking out of the gum

Full bony impaction: a tooth still imbedded in the bone and unable to come out

Endodontist: a root canal specialist

Periodontist: a gum and bone specialist

Pedodontist: a children specialist

Prosthodontist: a crown, bridge and denture specialist

Implant: a titanium screw-like apparatus inserted within the jaw bone to support a crown

 

 

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