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Abrasion: Loss of tooth structure from mechanical wear other than chewing.
Abutment: The teeth on either side of a space left by missing teeth that support the replacement (pontics) of the missing teeth.
Acid Etch: A procedure where a weak acid is painted on tooth enamel and then rinsed off to create a rough surface on the enamel to which orthodontic brackets or dental fillings can adhere.
Acrylic: A plastic used to make false teeth, retainers, dentures, and other dental products. Dental acrylics have been used for years and, once they are properly cured, are considered safe.
Acrylic Crown: A crown made of plastic.
Alginate: A gel like material used to make molds from you teeth (impressions). Alginate is traditionally made from natural materials and quite safe.
Aluminous Crown: An esthetic all-glass crown made of reinforced or cast glass that is stronger than porcelain.
Alveolar Bone: See alveolus.
Alveolus: The part of the jawbone that supports the teeth.
Amalgam: Fillings made of silver alloys. For esthetic reasons, amalgams are rarely used to restore front teeth.
Anatomical Crown: The visible portion of a tooth that is not normally (in a healthy mouth) hidden by the gums.
Anchor Teeth: The teeth that support a fixed bridge or partial denture. See abutment.
Anesthesia: Relieves the sensation of pain.
Anesthetic: A drug which a physician or dentist uses to put you, your mouth, or some other part of your body to sleep. Dental anesthetics are usually localized and create numbness of the teeth and jaw.
Ankylosis: (1) To become stiff of fixated by disease or surgery. (2) The union of two separated hard parts to form a single part. Often used to describe teeth that became fused to bone resulting in their failure to erupt.
Anodontia: The congenital or developmental absence of one or more teeth.
Anterior teeth: The front teeth (See incisors and cuspids).
Apertognathia: An open bite deformity.
Apex: The tip of a tooth's root where the blood vessels and nerve enter the tooth from the jawbone.
Apical: The tip of a tooth's root where the blood vessels and nerve enter the tooth.
Appliance: A term used to describe a device such as a fixed bridge, a denture, a partial denture, and orthodontic retainer, header gear, etc.
Arch: Because of their shape, this term is used to describe an upper or lower jaw. For example, a dentist may say your "upper arch" is in cross bite with your "lower arch."
Arch Wire: (1) A metal wire, which is attached to brackets and bent to create forces to move your teeth. (2) A metal wire used to stabilize or hold teeth in place such as in an orthodontic retainer.
Archfrom: A term used to refer to the shape of the dental arch. For example, a dentist might describe a patient's teeth as an horseshoe archform or a "v"-shaped archform".
Armamentarium: A general term to describe the materials, equipment, and instrument used by a dentist. For example, a dentist's armamentarium for making a mold of your teeth might include alginate.
Articulating Paper: Thin colored paper used by dentists to mark where the teeth come together.
Articulator: A device that is used to precisely hold models of a patient's upper and lower teeth so a dentist can study their bite or make a restoration.
Asialadenism: A state when the secretion of saliva is deficient.
Asialia: Asialism.
Asialism: Diminished or arrested secretion of saliva.
Aspiration: (1) The inhalation of a foreign object into the airway: (2) The suction of fluids from your mouth with an aspirator.
Aspirator: A straw-like device that is put in your mouth during dental treatment to keep it dry.
Assignment of Benefits: A clause in an insurance policy that allows the insured person to direct the payment by the carrier to the dentist. The insured person does this by signing the assignment box on the claim form, or by signing a signature on file form.
Attrition: Gradual wearing away of the biting surfaces of the teeth.
Avulse: To separate body part accidentally or surgically as in a traumatically avulsed tooth.
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