Glossary

Porcelain veneers (also known as dental veneers or dental porcelain laminates) refer to a cosmetic dentistry operation in which a thin layer of porcelain is bonded to a natural tooth. In this procedure a half millimeter of enamel is removed from the front surface of the tooth. The tooth ...Continue Reading

Porcelain crowns refer to a dental crown made that utilizes porcelain. There are two types of dental crowns that use porcelain material. These are porcelain or reinforced resin crowns and combination crowns that uses a mixture of porcelain and either metal or gold. Porcelain or reinforc ...Continue Reading

Placebo refers to medication or treatment that is inert which produces psychological benefit. Much like other scientific fields placebos are used in dentistry as a way to ascertain whether different procedures or treatments work on their own merit or due to an unknown variable. ...Continue Reading

Plaque is the accumulation of bacteria and food debris that manifests itself as a soft sticky substance stuck on tooth surfaces. Appearance wise plaque is yellow-white and can be removed by daily brushing and flossing. However if plaque accumulates it can lead to various oral diseases. S ...Continue Reading

A pontic is an artificial (false) tooth, usually attached to a dental prosthesis, that replaces a missing tooth . A dentist will recommend placement of a pontic when a patient’s natural tooth is missing due to dental trauma, root resorption, advanced periodontal disease or failed endod ...Continue Reading

Permanent teeth refer to (usually) thirty-two adult teeth in a complete permanent dentition. It comprises of thirty-two teeth in the two dental arches: maxiallary (upper) teeth and mandibular (lower) teeth. The thirty-two teeth are comprised of twelve anterior or incisor (front) teeth ei ...Continue Reading

A dental sealant (also called a pit and fissure sealant) is a plastic professionally-applied material that is put on the chewing surfaces of back teeth to prevent cavities. Sealants provide a physical barrier so that cavity-causing bacteria cannot invade the pits and fissures on the chew ...Continue Reading

Paresthesia is a temporary or permanent loss of sensation and can occur after oral surgery. Paresthesia in the mouth is described as a numbness, as if a tooth has been shot with anesthetic. However, with paresthesia, the numbness doesn’t go away after a few hours; instead, it persists ...Continue Reading

A periodontist is a dental specialist in periodontal (gum) disease. Seen in conjunction with a regular dentist a periodontist treats the various manifestations of gum problems. Additionally they should be consulted if one is missing one or more teeth and are considering getting dental im ...Continue Reading

Partial refers to one of the two main types of dentures. As opposed to complete dentures which are used to replace a complete set of teeth (upper or lower) partial dentures are used to fill in the spaces caused by missing teeth and is a preventative measure to stop other teeth from chang ...Continue Reading