Dental Glossary
Dentistry, translated — the terms you’ll hear at your visit, in plain English.
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Common dental terms explained
Patient education is a priority here. Don’t see a term, or want it explained better? Just ask — we love good questions.
- Abrasion
- Wearing or scraping away of tooth surface or mouth tissue, from injury, hard brushing, or an appliance.
- Abscess
- A pocket of infection with swelling, pus, and pain — the body’s walled-off battle zone. Needs prompt treatment.
- Abutment
- A supporting structure: the teeth that anchor a bridge, or the connector piece atop a dental implant.
- Air abrasion
- A drill-free way to remove small areas of decay using a fine stream of particles.
- Amalgam filling
- The traditional “silver” filling, made from a metal alloy. Durable, but today most patients choose tooth-colored composite.
- Anterior teeth
- The six front teeth in each jaw — your incisors and canines.
- Apicoectomy
- A minor surgery that seals off a tooth’s root tip when a root canal alone can’t resolve the infection.
- Baby (primary) teeth
- A child’s first set of 20 teeth, eventually replaced by the permanent set.
- Bicuspids (premolars)
- The two-cusped teeth between your canines and molars.
- Bite (occlusion)
- How the upper and lower teeth meet when you close your mouth.
- Bitewings
- The routine X-rays that reveal cavities forming between back teeth.
- Bonding
- Tooth-colored resin sculpted onto a tooth to repair chips or close small gaps.
- Bridge
- A fixed replacement for missing teeth, anchored to neighboring teeth or implants.
- Bruxism
- Habitual clenching or grinding of teeth, often during sleep. A custom night guard usually helps.
- Calculus (tartar)
- Hardened plaque that only professional cleaning can remove.
- Canines (cuspids)
- The pointed “eye teeth,” third from the center — built for biting.
- Caries
- The clinical word for tooth decay in its early stage — caught early, it can be stopped before becoming a cavity.
- Cavity
- Established decay that has created a hole in the tooth and needs a filling.
- Closed (deep) bite
- A bite where the upper front teeth cover the lower ones excessively.
- Composite filling
- A tooth-colored filling of resin and fine glass that bonds to the tooth — today’s standard for treating cavities.
- Cosmetic dentistry
- Treatments focused on the look of your smile: whitening, veneers, bonding, and more.
- Crown
- A custom cap covering a damaged tooth to restore its strength, shape, and appearance.
- Decalcification
- Loss of calcium from enamel, weakening teeth and inviting decay.
- Dental implant
- A titanium post placed in the jawbone to replace a missing tooth’s root and support a crown, bridge, or denture.
- Dentin
- The porous layer beneath enamel that surrounds and protects the tooth’s nerve.
- Dentures
- Removable or fixed replacements for missing teeth — full or partial arch.
- Edentulous
- Missing all teeth in one or both arches.
- Enamel
- The hard, visible outer shell of the tooth — the body’s hardest substance, and it doesn’t grow back.
- Gingivitis
- Early gum disease: sore, swollen gums that bleed easily. Fully reversible with treatment and good home care.
- Halitosis
- The clinical term for persistent bad breath.
- Impacted tooth
- A tooth stuck beneath the gums that can’t emerge properly — most often a wisdom tooth.
- Incisors
- The four front teeth in each jaw, used for cutting food.
- Malocclusion
- A misaligned bite, where upper and lower teeth don’t meet evenly.
- Mandible
- The lower jaw.
- Molars
- The broad, multi-cusped back teeth that grind food.
- Orthodontics
- The dental specialty that corrects misalignments of the teeth, mouth, and jaws.
- Overbite
- Upper front teeth extending noticeably past the lower ones.
- Palate
- The roof of the mouth — hard toward the front, soft toward the back.
- Periodontitis
- Advanced gum disease that damages the bone supporting teeth — the leading cause of adult tooth loss.
- Plaque
- The soft, sticky bacterial film that builds up on teeth daily; brushing and flossing remove it.
- Root canal
- Treatment that removes infected tissue from inside a tooth, then cleans and seals it — saving the tooth.
- Scaling
- Professional removal of plaque and tartar from teeth, above and below the gumline.
- Sealant
- A thin protective coating applied to the grooves of back teeth to block cavities.
- Temporary crown
- A short-term crown worn while a custom one is being made. (With our same-day crowns, you usually skip this step.)
- Underbite
- Lower teeth extending past the upper ones when biting.
- Veneer
- A thin porcelain shell bonded to the front of a tooth to perfect its color and shape.
- Wisdom teeth
- The third molars at the very back of the jaw — removed when there isn’t room for them.
Still have questions?
Ask us anything — patient education is part of every visit.
Call (562) 414-5064