Your Dental Care Plan

PEDIATRICS a branch of medicine dealing with the development, care, and diseases of children.

IMPLANT  Where teeth are missing, a metal rod is screwed into the jaw . An artificial tooth is then fitted over the implant to replace missing teeth.

HALITOSIS  The technical term used to describe bad breath. Most cases are thought to originate from sources in the mouth, including poor oral hygiene, periodontal disease, coating on the tongue, impacted food, faulty dental restorations, and throat infections.

CROWN A type of dental restoration which completely caps or encircles a tooth or dental implant, covering or replacing the major part or the whole of the clinical crown of a tooth.

HYGIENE The practice of keeping the mouth, teeth, and gums clean and healthy to prevent disease, as by regular brushing and flossing and visits to a dentist. The state of ones' oral health, also called oral hygiene.

WISDOM TEETH  Four rearmost molars on each side of the upper and lower jaw. Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt, typically in early adulthood.

VENEER 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 main types of material used to fabricate a veneer, composite and dental porcelain.

CARIES Also known as tooth decay or a cavity, is a disease where bacterial processes damage hard tooth structure.

CANKER SORE A type of oral ulcer, which presents as a painful open sore inside the mouth or upper throat characterized by a break in the mucous membrane. Its cause is unknown, but they are not contagious.

IMPACTED TOOTH  A tooth that is unerupted or partially erupted, that cannot fully erupt, due to crowding, misalignment or conflict with another tooth.

PERIODONTAL diseases are gingivitis and periodontitis.

GINGIVITIS is characterized by redness and swelling of the gums due to plaque accumulation. Gingivitis may progress to periodontitis, which is a destructive form of periodontal disease.

PERIODINTITIS is untreated or delayed treatment of gingivitis. Infection and inflammation spreads from the gums to the ligaments and bone that support the teeth. Loss of bone causes the teeth to become loose and eventually fall out.

ABSCESS  Pus enclosed in the tissues of the jaw bone at the tip of an infected tooth. Usually the abscess originates from a bacterial infection that has accumulated in the soft pulp of the tooth.

ENDODONTICS  A dental specialty. Endodontists perform a variety of procedures including root canal therapy, endodontic retreatment, surgery, treating cracked teeth, and treating dental trauma.

ORTHODONTICS  A dental specialty concerned with straightening teeth and insuring proper form and function. Braces are commonly fitted by orthodontists.

BRIDGE  A bridge is made up of two crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap left by a missing tooth. These two anchoring teeth are called abutment teeth. A false tooth or teeth are placed in between.