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Dental Glossary
For your information, we have listed below a glossary of the most common questions which patients ask.
Implants:
Dental implants are artificial tooth roots made from surgical grade titanium, which over a period of four to nine months actually fuse to the bone in the jaw and thus form firm support for a tooth replacement.
The placement procedure is rarely painful, as dentists must use an extremely fine touch with the bone so as not to interfere with the fusion, or integration.
You will benefit from dental implants if you are missing teeth from any area of your mouth, or maybe missing them in the future.
If you are missing a single tooth from the middle of your arch, it can be replaced with an implant and save the need and expense of having the teeth on either side shaped for crowns to have a bridge placed.
If you are missing a tooth or teeth at the end of your arch, dental implants may give you continued chewing efficiency without the need for a removable partial denture. That "feeling young and vigorous" attitude can be maintained or regained. Very few patients these days accept "removable parts" unless absolutely necessary, and implants obviate most of this need.
Dental implants are a conservative solution to most dental problems in which one or more teeth are missing. It is not painful, but sometimes can be a complex procedure that has a success rate of over ninety percent. Cosmetic, functional, and self-esteem issues are addressed as well as enhanced ability to chew and enjoy your food.
Veneers:
A veneer is a thin layer of restorative material placed over a tooth surface, either to improve the aesthetics of a tooth, or to protect a damaged tooth surface. There are two types of material used in a veneer, composite and porcelain.
A composite veneer may be directly placed (built-up in the mouth), or indirectly fabricated by a dental technician in a dental laboratory, and later bonded to the tooth, typically using a resin cement.
In contrast, a porcelain veneer may only be indirectly fabricated. The advantages of using a veneer to restore a tooth are many. Very good aesthetics can be obtained; with minimal tooth preparation (i.e. drilling).
Veneers can improve the colours, shape and position of teeth from further damage caused by acid in foods and drinks and from acids in the stomach. Without the protection of veneer the teeth can become thin and weak.
OPG:
An Orthopantomogram (OPG) also known as an "orthopantogram" or "panorex", is a panoramic scanning dental X-ray of the upper and lower jaw. It shows a two-dimensional view of a half-circle from ear to ear. Normally, the person bites on a plastic spatula so that all the teeth, especially the crowns can be viewed individually.
The whole orthopantomogram process takes about one minute.
OPGs are used by dentists to provide information on:
- Impacted wisdom teeth
- Periodontal bone loss
- Finding the source of dental pain
- Assessment for the placement of dental implants
- Orthodontic assessment
The most common use is to determine the status of wisdom teeth.
Inlays:
A laboratory made internal filling, cemented or bonded into a tooth. It can be made of porcelain, composite or gold. Sometimes, a tooth is treatment planned to be restored with an intracoronal restoration, but the decay or fracture is so extensive that a direct restoration, such as amalgam or composite, would compromise the structural integrity of the restored tooth by possibly undermining the remaining tooth structure or providing substandard opposition to occlusal (i.e. biting) forces.
Onlays:
An onlay is more extensive than an inlay and covers one or more cusps. A porcelain onlay is fabricated to fit your tooth precisely and is bonded tightly in place to strengthen and protect the damaged tooth. Like a crown, an onlay covers and protects the tooth's biting surface.
Where a crown covers the entire tooth, an onlay fits inside the tooth cusps and covers only the biting surfaces. Because an onlay is fabricated in a dental laboratory, it takes two or more appointments to restore a tooth with a porcelain onlay.
Crown:
A covering placed on a tooth to replace missing structure and to reinforce or strengthen it. The most common crowns made today are from a cast metal (preferably a gold alloy) with aesthetic porcelain baked to the outside. In non aesthetic areas, or for patients with extremely strong masticatory musculature, gold crowns are still used and are still the most durable restorations known.
Today, we also have all-porcelain crowns, with incredible aesthetics. Crowns are indicated for broken or cracked teeth and any tooth in which the previous filling encompassed more than one-half of the width of the tooth. Crowns are also still used to solve some cosmetic problems when bonding or veneers would not be adequate.
Whitening or "Tooth Bleaching":
Tooth whitening can be a highly effective way of lightening the natural colour of your teeth without removing any of the tooth surfaces. It cannot make a complete colour change but it will lighten the existing shade.
There are a number of reasons why you might get your teeth whitened. Your teeth can also be stained on the surface through food and drinks such as tea, coffee, red wine and blackcurrant. Smoking can also stain teeth.
Calculus or tartar can also affect the colour of teeth. Some people may have staining under the surface, which can be caused by certain antibiotics or tiny cracks in the teeth which take up stains.
Most patients see results after the first night. It will typically take from 2 to 6 weeks to restore your teeth to a beautiful white. The time it will take depends on the original colour of your teeth, how discoloured they were, and how frequently the treatment is applied.
Gum Diseases:
Plaque, Tartar, Gingivitis, Periodontitis, Pyorrhea.
Quite simply, Gum Disease (Periodontal Disease) starts when plaque and tartar (calculus) are allowed to accumulate at the base of your teeth. The bacteria in the plaque leads to an infection in the gums (gingiva) called Gingivitis.
Left untreated, the infection spreads to the tissue and bone that holds your teeth in place, a condition called Periodontitis (Pyorrhea). Because of the bacterial infection associated with Periodontitis, tooth abscesses are also common.
Calculus is the scientific term for Tartar, which is the accumulation of calcified substance that adheres to the teeth. Calculus is microscopically porous, and provides a multitude of hiding places for the bacteria that cause gum disease. It should be removed on a schedule chosen specifically for the individual needs of each patient. It is the major target of your "cleanings".
Gum Disease is the leading cause of tooth loss among adults. More importantly, the infection releases toxins into the bloodstream leading to serious health risks such as Stroke, Diabetes, Heart Disease...
Gum Treatment can effectively be used to treat and control even advanced cases of Periodontitis (Pyorrhea) but the more advanced the disease, the more likely it will lead to tooth loss. Prevention and early detection are your best defences against Gum Disease. It is critical to catch and treat Gum Disease early before destruction of bone and tissue has compromised your health.
Apicoectomy:
A Root End Surgery formerly known as "apicoectomy", is an endodontic surgical procedure whereby a tooth's root tip is removed, a root end cavity is prepared and filled with a biocompatible material. An apicoectomy may be needed when an infection develops or persists after root canal treatment or retreatment.
During root canal treatment, the canals are cleaned and inflamed or infected tissue is removed. Root canals are very complex, with many small branches off the main canal. Sometimes, even after root canal treatment, infected debris can remain in these branches and possibly prevent healing or cause re-infection later.
In an apicoectomy, the root tip, or apex, is removed along with the infected tissue. A filling is then placed to seal the end of the root. An apicoectomy is sometimes called endodontic microsurgery because the procedure is done under an operating microscope.
Fixed Bridge:
A Permanent Bridge replaces one or more missing teeth. A Bridge will:
- Keep teeth from drifting into the space created from a missing tooth
- Help preserve normal function and normal bite for the jaw joint
A Permanent Bridge is usually anchored to the teeth on both sides of the space from the missing tooth. This gives the bridge strong support. Brushing a bridge is no different than brushing natural teeth, but special flossing instructions are given to keep the bridge and surrounding tissue healthy. A Permanent Bridge is permanently bonded in place, unlike a Partial Denture (sometimes called a Removable Bridge), which is removable.
Replacing a missing tooth by placing at least two crowns on adjacent teeth and suspending a false tooth, or pontic, in between or cantilevered from one end. This restoration is cemented to your teeth and is not removable. It is carefully crafted for aesthetics, fit, comfort, and easy cleaning. Depending on the size and situation, the bridge may take from two to six visits to complete. A quality provisional (temporary) bridge will be in place in-between appointments.
Foundation:
A filling done before a crown or bridge preparation. It is especially designed to be retentive in the tooth and to provide strength underneath the crown or bridge. A crown or bridge should never be placed over an old or unknown filling.
Amalgam Filling:
The traditional silver filling. actually a mixture of silver, mercury, copper and tin. Long lasting, but expands and oxidizes over time. It can slow down the decay process. Not aesthetic.
Composite:
The material traditionally used for bonded restorations. It is made from an admixture of various glass particles in a polymerized gel-like matrix. This material is generally applied to etched enamel and primed dentin. It is then polymerized with a curing light, a visible blue light which activates a catalyst in the composite and causes it to harden almost instantly.
Today's composite bonding materials are extremely aesthetic because of the way the glass particles reflect and refract light similarly to natural enamel.
Dentures:
A Partial Denture: or "removable bridge" replaces one or more missing teeth, but there must be teeth remaining for the partial to attach to. Unlike a Fixed Bridge, a partial is removable. A partial will prevent other teeth from shifting, preserving your remaining teeth. Sometimes crowns are placed on some of your natural teeth and serve as anchors for the denture. Depending on the health of the remaining teeth or the costs related to replacement of the teeth, utilizing implants or permanently, fixed-bridgework may not be the best option. Generally, removable partial dentures are a less costly alternative.
A Complete Denture: is placed in the patient's mouth after all the teeth have been extracted and the gum tissue has healed. Healing can take from a few weeks to a few months, depending upon the patient.
An Overdenture: usually requires that at least 2 roots be kept. These roots may be used to hold the denture in place by placing inserts in the roots and in the denture. The denture then attaches to the roots. These roots also give support to the denture and help retain the ridge the denture sits on.
An Implant-Retained Denture: is similar to an Overdenture, but uses implants as anchors.
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