Dental Terms and Procedures

Dental Terms and Procedures

If you are like a lot of people you might get a treatment plan at your dental visit and come home and research it on the Internet, or you might just hear some terms thrown around while you are at your dental appointment.  First of all, I want to encourage you to ask any questions that you might have.  Your dentist should be more than willing to answer all your questions.  However, if you are just bashful or like to do your own research this blog is for you!  

Tooth numbers- Teeth are numbered in the dental field so that we can identify a tooth easily and accurately.  Typically, adults have 32 permanent teeth.  They are numbered 1-32.  Tooth #1 is your top right wisdom tooth.  The one next to that coming toward the front of the mouth is tooth #2. Teeth are numbered consecutively as you move around the upper arch. Your top left wisdom tooth  is #16.  The lower teeth are numbered consecutively too, but they go from left to right.  So, tooth #17 is the lower left wisdom tooth, and is directly below #16.  Continue all the way around the lower arch, numbering as you go until you get to the lower right wisdom tooth, which is #32.  Baby teeth are lettered A-T, but the same pattern used to number permanent teeth is used to letter baby teeth.

Dental Caries – These are cavities.

Amalgam Filling – These are silver fillings.

Composite Filling – These are the tooth colored fillings.

Crowns – Sometimes these are referred to as caps. Crowns can be made up of a lot of materials, but the most used are metals and porcelain.  These restorations are used when decay is too much for a filling only.  The tooth is prepped so that your crown can sit on your tooth.  The crown covers your entire tooth all the way around and all the way to the gumline.

Bridge – A bridge is a fixed restoration meant to replace a missing tooth.  The teeth adjacent to the missing tooth are prepped for crowns and that then a fake tooth is bonded between the two crowns, essentially bridging the gap that is created by the missing tooth.

Dental Implants – This is a fixed restoration meant to replace a missing tooth. An implant looks like a small screw and it is placed in the bone in your jaw where the root of your tooth would be.  Then a crown is placed on top of that.  This is the most natural tooth replacement.  Hygiene and care is what it would be for normal tooth.  This option also prevents further bone loss that people experience when they lose teeth.  Implants can also be used to support dentures or bridges.

 

Periodontal Scaling and Root Planning – This is a cleaning that goes below the gums.  This is necessary if you have deep pockets between your gums and teeth. This is recommended when periodontal disease is present.  Periodontal disease is gum disease, and if left untreated the bacteria starts to erode the bone and gum tissue causing your teeth to become mobile (loose), and will eventually lead to tooth loss and possibly cardiovascular problems.

If you think of any other terms you would like to see explained, just feel free to leave a comment and ask!