Without teeth.

Hard calcified tissue covering dentin of the crown of tooth.

A dental specialist who limits his/her practice to treating disease and injuries of the pulp and associated periradicular conditions.

Reshaping of the occlusal surfaces of teeth to create harmonious contact relationships between the upper and lower teeth; also known as occlusal adjustment.

Patient who has a record of recent care.

An evaluation performed on a patient of record to determine any changes in the patient’s dental and medical health status since a previous comprehensive or periodic evaluation. This may require interpretation of information acquired through additional diagnostic procedures. Report additional diagnostic procedures separately.

Problem focused – An evaluation limited to a specific oral health problem. This may require interpretation of information acquired through additional diagnostic procedures. Definitive procedures may be required on the same date as the evaluation. Typically, patients receiving this type of evaluation have been referred for a specific problem and/or present with dental emergencies, trauma, acute infection, etc.

Comprehensive Oral Evaluation

Typically used by a general dentist and/or specialist when evaluating a patient comprehensively. It is a thorough evaluation and recording of the extraoral and intraoral hard and soft tissues. It may require interpretation of information acquired through additional diagnostic procedures. This would include the evaluation and recording of the patient’s dental and medical history and a general health assessment. It may typically include the evaluation and recording of dental caries, missing or unerupted teeth, restorations, occlusal relationships, periodontal conditions (including periodontal charting), hard and soft tissue anomalies, etc.

Detailed and Extensive Oral Evaluation

Problem focused, by report. A detailed and extensive problem-focused evaluation entails extensive diagnostic and cognitive modalities based on the findings of a comprehensive oral evaluation. Integration of more extensive diagnostic modalities to develop a treatment plan for a specific problem is required. The condition requiring this type of evaluation should be described and documented. Examples of conditions requiring this type of evaluation may include dentofacial anomalies, complicated perioprosthetic conditions, complex temporomandibular dysfunction, facial pain of unknown origin, severe systemic diseases requiring multi-disciplinary consultation, etc.

Re-evaluation

Limited, problem-focused (Established patient; not post-operative visit). This includes assessing the status of a previously existing condition. Examples of conditions requiring this type of evaluation may include: A traumatic injury where no treatment was rendered but the patient needs follow-up monitoring; Evaluation for undiagnosed continuing pain: A soft tissue lesion requiring follow-up evaluation.

Evulsion

Complete separation of the tooth from its socket due to trauma (avulsion).

Excision

Surgical removal of bone or tissue.

Exostosis

Overgrowth of bone (see torus).

Extraoral

Outside the oral cavity.

Extracoronal

Outside the crown of a tooth.

Exudate

A material usually resulting from inflammation or necrosis that contains fluid, cells, and/or other debris.

F

Facial

The surface of a tooth directed toward the face (including the buccal and labial surfaces) and opposite the lingual surface. Facial surface equals buccal surface in the posterior or the labial in the anterior.

Filling

A lay term used for the restoring of lost tooth structure by using materials such as metal, alloy, plastic, or porcelain.

Fixed Partial Denture

A fixed partial denture is a prosthetic replacement of one or more missing teeth cemented or attached to the abutment teeth or implant abutments adjacent to the space.

Foramen

Natural opening into or through bone.

Fracture

The breaking of a part, especially of a bony structure; breaking of a tooth.

Frenum

Muscle fibers covered by a mucous membrane that attaches the cheek, lips, and or tongue to associated dental mucosa.

Furcation

The anatomic area of a multirooted tooth where the roots diverge.

G

General Anesthesia

See anesthesia.

Gingiva

Soft tissues overlying the crowns of unerupted teeth and encircling the necks of those that have erupted.

Gingivitis

Inflammation of gingival tissue without loss of connective tissue.

Gingivectomy

The excision or removal of gingiva.

Gingivoplasty

Surgical procedure to reshape gingiva.

Glass Ionomer

Glass polyalkenoate cement: material in which the solid powdered phase is a fluoride-containing aluminosilicate glass powder. The material is translucent and can be used as a restoration, a liner, and a luting agent.

Graft:

A piece of tissue or alloplastic material placed in contact with tissue to repair a defect or supplement a deficiency;

Allogenic Graft

Having cell types that are antigenetically distinct from patient’s cell type (usually freeze dried and/or irradiated);

Autogenous Graft

Taken from one part of a patient’s body and transferred to another;

Homologous Graft

A graft transplanted from a donor of the same species.

H

Hemisection

Surgical separation of a multi-rooted tooth.

Heterologous

Made up of tissue not normal to the part.

Histopathology

The study of disease processes at the cellular level.

Homologous

See graft.

Imaging, Diagnostic

This would include, but is not limited to, CAT scans, MRIs, photographs, radiographs, etc.

Immediate Denture

Prosthesis constructed for placement immediately after removal of remaining natural teeth.

Impacted Tooth

An unerupted or partially erupted tooth that is positioned against another tooth, bone, or soft tissue so that complete eruption is unlikely.

Implant

Material inserted or grafted into tissue; dental implant – device specially designed to be place surgically within or on the mandibular or maxillary bone as a means of providing for dental replacement; endosteal (endosseous); eposteal (subperiosteal); transosteal (transosseous).

Implantation, Tooth

Placement of an artificial or natural tooth into an alveolus.

Incisal

Pertaining to the biting edges of the incisor and cuspid teeth.

Incisal Angle

One of the angles formed by the junction of the incisal and the mesial or distal surfaces of an anterior tooth; called the mesioincisal and distoincisal angle respectfully.

Procedure in which the nearly exposed pulp is covered with a protective dressing to protect the pulp from additional injury and to promote healing and repair via formation of secondary dentin.

A restoration fabricated outside the mouth.

An indirect intracoronal restoration; a dental restoration made outside the oral cavity to correspond to the form of the prepared cavity, which is then luted into the tooth.

The intentional removal, radicular repair and replacement of a tooth into its alveolus.

Between the adjoining surfaces of adjacent teeth in the same arch.

Referring to "within" the crown of a tooth.

Inside the mouth.

Conscious sedation (see anesthesia).

A common name for either the maxilla or the mandible.

A protein present in all cuticular structures of the body, such as hair, epidermis and horns.

The oral surface of the gingiva extending from the mucogingival junction to the gingival margin. In gingival health, the coronal portion of the sulcular epithelium may also be keratinized.

Pertaining to or around the lip.

An injury or wound; area of diseased tissue.

See evaluation.

An angle formed by the junction of two planes; used to designate the junction of two surfaces of a tooth, or of two walls of a tooth cavity preparation.

Pertaining to or around the tongue; surface of the tooth directed toward the tongue; opposite of facial.

See anesthesia.

A site or location.