| tooth abrasion | The pathologic wearing away of the tooth substance by brushing, bruxism, clenching, and other mechanical causes. It is differentiated from tooth attrition in that this type of wearing away is the result of tooth-to-tooth contact, as in mastication, occurring only on the occlusal, incisal, and proximal surfaces. It differs also from tooth erosion, the progressive loss of the hard substance of a tooth by chemical processes not involving bacterial action. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| tooth abscess | A localised pus-forming bacteria infection adjacent to the tooth or root. Large tooth abscesses may require surgical drainage, root canal or a tooth extraction. See: apical abscess. (27 Sep 1997) |
| tooth-and-nail syndrome | <syndrome> Hypodontia associated with absent or very small nails at birth. Common among Dutch Mennonites in Canada. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tooth apex | The tip or terminal end of the root of a tooth. (12 Dec 1998) |
| tooth arrangement | The placement of teeth on a denture base with definite objectives in mind. The setting of teeth on temporary bases. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tooth, artificial | A fabricated tooth substituting for a natural tooth in a prosthesis. It is usually made of porcelain or plastic. (12 Dec 1998) |
| tooth attrition | The wearing away of a tooth as a result of tooth-to-tooth contact, as in mastication, occurring only on the occlusal, incisal, and proximal surfaces. It is chiefly associated with aging. It is differentiated from tooth abrasion (the pathologic wearing away of the tooth substance by friction, as brushing, bruxism, clenching, and other mechanical causes) and from tooth erosion (the loss of substance caused by chemical action without bacterial action). (12 Dec 1998) |
| tooth avulsion | Partial or complete displacement of a tooth from its alveolar support. It is commonly the result of trauma. (12 Dec 1998) |
| tooth bleaching | The use of a chemical oxidizing agent (sometimes in combination with heat) to lighten tooth discolorations. (boucher's clinical dental terminology, 4th ed, p34) (12 Dec 1998) |
| tooth-borne | A term used to describe a prosthesis or part of a prosthesis which depends entirely upon the abutment teeth for support. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tooth-borne base | The denture base restoring an edentulous area which has abutment teeth at each end for support; the tissue which it covers is not used for support. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tooth bud | The primordial structures from which a tooth is formed; the enamel organ, the dental papilla, and the dental sac enclosing them. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tooth calcification | The process whereby calcium salts are deposited in the dental enamel. The process is normal in the development of bones and teeth. (boucher's clinical dental terminology, 4th ed, p43) (12 Dec 1998) |
| tooth cement | <dentistry> A bony substance covering the root of a tooth. (08 Jan 1998) |
| tooth cervix | The constricted part of the tooth at the junction of the crown and root or roots. It is often referred to as the cementoenamel junction (cej), the line at which the cementum covering the root of a tooth and the enamel of the tooth meet. (12 Dec 1998) |