Dentist jargon 101

What is your dentist talking about? And what do those numbers mean? Here is your need-to-know guide to dental jargon.

Reviewed by Dr Akshay Sidana
Dentist

Ever wondered why your dentist speaks in code when they’re examining your mouth? The numbers a dentist recites to other dental professionals while they’re looking at your teeth aren’t simply designed to confuse you, says dentist Dr Andre Collins, from Clearly Dental Kew.

“When you study dentistry, you have to learn essentially another language,” he says. “There are 32 teeth, on average, in the mouth of an adult, and we have numbered them in a certain way. So your wisdom tooth on the upper right-hand side is 1-8, and then the second molar is 1-7. And then on the other side, it would be 2-8, 2-7, 2-6 and so on.

“And when we do a gum assessment, we often call out numbers too. We’re actually measuring the distance between the gum and the underlying bone. A healthy gum should be 1-3mm in depth. So if you’re getting numbers called out between one and three, that’s a good thing. Anything above that is potentially some inflammation or some localised or generalised gum disease.”

To help you understand some of the language of dentistry, we asked Dr Collins to explain common dental jargon.

Common dental terms

Bruxism. “That’s clenching and grinding your teeth,” says Collins.
Root canal therapy. “When there’s an infection inside the nerve tissue of the tooth, canal therapy involves removing the dead root tissue,” says Collins. “That takes a couple of appointments.”
Crown. “Often people call it a cap,” Collins says. “That’s when a filling’s completely over the tooth – almost like it’s wearing a hat.”
Occlusal splint. “People might know this as a night guard,” he says. “It’s worn at night if you’re clenching and grinding.”
Dental implant. This is where you replace a missing tooth with a false tooth that’s screwed into your jawbone. “There are a number of steps to an implant,” says Collins. “One is to actually place the implant into the space where the tooth is missing. You leave it for about three or four months on average, and then you take a mould and screw the crown into the implant a month down the track.”
V sedation. “This is known as ‘twilight dentistry’,” Collins says. “If you’re very nervous with dental treatment, you can opt for IV sedation. You’re not really aware of what is happening, but you can still kind of drowsily respond to what the dentist is saying.”

Other handy dental terms

Abscess – acute or chronic inflammation
Amalgam – a compound combining several elements used in fillings
Bridge – a procedure to replace missing teeth; the bridge is attached to the real teeth on either side
Calculus – another word for tartar, which is what can form when plaque isn’t cleaned away
Canine teeth – the pointed teeth used for gripping and tearing food
Decay – decomposed tooth structure
Dentine – the yellowish tissue that makes up most of a tooth, located beneath the enamel
Dentures – false teeth made of acrylic or metal; can be complete (replacing all teeth) or partial (filling in spaces left by missing teeth)
Enamel – the hard, calcified tissue on the tooth’s surface
Erosion – the loss of tooth enamel due to acid attack
Filling – the restoration of lost tooth structure with materials such as amalgam
Fluoride – a natural mineral that can strengthen tooth enamel
Gingivitis – an early form of gum disease characterised by plaque build-up along the gum line
Hygienist – a dental practitioner specialising in the prevention of dental disease and the promotion of good oral health
Incisor – a front tooth used for cutting or gnawing, located on both jaws
Mandible – the lower jaw
Maxilla – the upper jaw
Molar – teeth used for grinding, located on both sides of the jaw
Orthodontist – a dental professional who specialises in dental and facial irregularities such as crooked teeth and mismatched bites
Periodontal disease – an advanced gum disease which may occur if gingivitis isn’t treated
Periodontal ligament – tissue that separates the tooth from the bone socket, and anchors the tooth to the bone
Plaque – a soft, sticky substance comprised of bacteria and similar substances that build up on teeth
Premolars – teeth with a flat biting surface, used for tearing and crushing food
Pulp – the soft tissue at the centre of each tooth containing nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue
Scaling – the process of removing harmful substances such as plaque and stain from teeth
Sealant – a material applied to biting surfaces of the back teeth to prevent cavities forming
Tartar – when plaque isn’t cleaned away, it can harden into tartar. Dentists will also sometimes call this calculus
TMJ – temporomandibular joint; allows the lower jawbone to move up and down
Veneer – a thin layer of material made to cover the front surface of a tooth to improve its appearance or position
Wisdom teeth – the third molar teeth which typically come through in the late teens or 20s.

Sources

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