Orthodontics
These small metal or ceramic squares are bonded to the teeth and joined together by an archwire
What are Brackets
Periodontists specialize in treating this pink soft tissue that surrounds and supports the teeth.
What is the Gingiva (gums)
This common treatment saves a tooth by removing infected or inflamed tissue from inside it.
What is a root canal
The removal of a tooth is called this.
What is an extraction.
This removable appliance replaces all of the teeth in an arch for a patient who has none left.
After braces come off, patients wear this removable or fixed appliance to keep teeth from drifting back.
What is a Retainer
The sticky, colorless film of bacteria that builds up on teeth every day and is the main cause of gum disease.
What is plaque.
The soft tissue in the center of a tooth, full of nerves and blood vessels, is called this.
What is the pulp
These last molars to appear, usually in the late teens or twenties, are often removed because there is no room for them.
A tooth-shaped "cap" that covers a damaged tooth down to the gumline is called this
What is a crown.
This word describes teeth that do not line up properly, including crowding, gaps, and a bad bite.
What is Malocclusion
This earliest stage of gum disease caused red, swollen, bleeding gums but no bone loss, and it can be reversed.
What is gingivitis.
This yellowish layer sits just beneath the enamel and makes up most of the tooth.
What is dentin
Surgeons place this titanium screw in the jawbone to act as a replacement tooth.
What is a dental implant
These thin, tooth-colored shells are bonded to the front of teeth to change their shape or color.
What are veneers.
Edward angle, often called the father of modern orthodontics, sorted bites into this many classes.
What are classes: I, II, and III
This deep cleaning removes plaque and calculus below the gumline and smooths the tooth roots so gums can reattach
What is scaling and root planing.
What are files.
If the blood clot is lost after an extraction, this painful condition, nicknamed for a lack of moisture, can develop.
What is dry socket (alveolar osteitis)
This fixed prosthesis replaces a missing tooth by anchoring to the teeth on either side of the gap.
What is a bridge.
Orthodontists trace landmarks on this side view X-ray of the head to measure jaw position and plan treatment.
What is a Cephalometric radiograph or just Ceph
When the gumline moves downward and exposes the tooth root, this is the condition, and a gum graft can help treat it.
What is gingival recession
After cleaining, the canals are sealed with this rubber-like material made from tree latex.
What is Gutta-Percha
This term describes the process by which bone grows tightly against a titanium implant so it holds firmly.
What is osseointegration.
This technology, abbreviated with two letter groups, lets a machine mill a crown from a ceramic block, sometimes in a single visit.