Dental Lingo, now you too, can be in the cool club!

Alright,this here is for those of you who want to understand your dentist and hygienist when they speak in that "secret language"j/k. So here is a list of common dental lingo simply translated. If you have a question about one not listed please comment. (all images are from google, most are demonstrations of severe cases )


The tooth is split into five/six-ish sections to help us know where the decay or calculus...is located.

1. Buccal surface= the surface facing the cheek or face
2. Lingual surface= the surface facing the tongue
3. Occlusal surface= the surface used to chew or chewing surface
4. Mesial surface= The surface facing toward the middle/mid line of the mouth.
5. Distal surface= the surface facing the back of the mouth
6. Cervical=the small lower 1/3 of the tooth near the gum line or neck of the tooth


Mandible/mandibular= lower jaw/teeth
Maxilla/maxillary= upper teeth
palate= roof of the mouth


Amalgam = alloy or the filling that appears silver
Composite = white filling

Ortho/orthodontics= braces



Bruxism/ bruxing = grinding your teeth




Attrition = is the wear pattern or loss of tooth surface from grinding your teeth or sign of teeth wearing down (wear facets, usually found along cusp tips, and occlusals this picture is a severe case)








Abrasion = is the wear pattern or loss of tooth surface from foreign objects ex. toothbrush (usually found along the cervical region and more wide than deep )


Abfraction= Loss of tooth surface at the cervical areas of teeth caused by tensile and compressive forces during tooth flexure ( usually found on cervical region and more deep and "v" shape )






Erosion = sign of the tooth surface being eroded away by chemicals, acid(citrus,stomach acid; not involving bacterial action, can be seen on all surfaces depending on source occlusals will show a cupping)... this pic is classic sign of erosion caused by bulemia, or vomiting...stomach acids have eroded away the enamel of the lingual surface .

gingiva/gingival= gums or pertaining to...
periodontium/periodontal= gums or involving the gums bone and teeth
periodontal disease= gum disease
probe= an instrument used to measure the health of your gums and bone(periodontium)


Prophy= general cleaning (scaling AND polishing, if you just get your teeth polished you didn't receive a full cleaning)


S/RP= scaling and root planing or deep cleaning

Calculus= hardened tartar/plaque that cannot be removed by brushing or flossing (although, if homecare is good; the plaque will be removed before it has time to harden. But there are some areas that are hard to get to like below the gumline that are near impossible, which is why you see us :)more about this topic in a later post.

Scaling= well my patients call it scraping, but it is the removal of calculus from the teeth

polishing= this entails a polishing cup with a type of pumice or therapeutic polish (helps remove stain, apply fluoride, and smooth or polish the enamel of the tooth)

LDA= local delivery of antibiotics or antimicrobials

edematous= swollen

erythema= red

blanche/blanching= white

radiographs= x-rays

PA's = peri apical x-rays meaning single x-ray to get the crown and root of a tooth plus surrounding bone


FMX/FMS= full mouth series/full mouth x-rays (18-20 )





bitewings= x-rays usually taken as check up x-rays to see between the teeth & periodic exam


(the black arrows are pointing out decay in this bitewing, poor fella)

Pano/panorex= 1 large x-ray taken of your whole mouth at once usually circling your head as you stand still, used mainly for braces and wisdom teeth. not good for check up x-rays or to examine for any decay.



Did you know recently scientists have discovered that by pulling scotch tape off the roll in a vacuum chamber it will emit radiation. In fact, it admits enough to take an x-ray and scientist have experimented using dental radiographs of their finger. pretty cool. article found here , video here . (side note in the video it discusses us leaving the room... most offices now have digital and fast film which is very small amount of radiation compared to the "old school" and we also take x-rays all day so we do it as preventative for ourselves.)

What to Expect With Your First Office Visit.

Ok, so you finally convinced yourself to call and make an appointment. Yay ! Congrats. We are excited and looking forward to meeting you : )
So today I will explain in general what to expect on your first visit. I will be speaking mainly from the ideal private practice dentist office first.
After you have made your appointment, they may ask you some questions over the phone; or they may wait until you come in, on the day of. Either way, they will ask. And you will have papers to fill out.Be prepared. This is mandatory for every new patient(it's the law). Even previous patients will be asked to update their information at least every two years. And even if you tell us it is the same you still have to check every box. So some of the questions they may ask over the phone, besides your name and number are:

1. Do you have insurance? (this is a courtesy that the dental office bills your insurance, technically you are responsible for billing your own insurance. ) If you have insurance and would like them to handle the billing they will ask you for your insurance information, which may include the employer, and employer number, your SSN, and anyone else who is covered under the plan.


2. They might ask for an address to send you your paperwork to fill out so you can bring it with you on the day of your appointment. ( This means less waiting. I recommend you do this. Also,it doesn't hurt to ask them to send it by mail, if they do not offer.)



3. They may also ask about pre-existing medical conditions as well. Such as , have you had any heart problems, surgeries or joint replacements with in the last six months or ever needed to take antibiotics before dental treatment. ( this is important. Be honest b/c if you have any of the above, we cannot treat you for any dental work without a medical release from your doctor or premed, and you will be sent home. You wouldn't want to take off work and not be treated, what a waste! ) Our number one priority is your health and we do not want to cause any damage to what has already been done or trying to heal.
   
4. If you have any concerns about a medical condition they can contact your doctor and get a faxed medical release, easy as pie: )

Next you hang up the phone. And before you know it, the day of your appointment has arrived.

You will see the doctor first (the state of CA requires all new patients to see the doctor first, but often the doctor and sometimes patients"because all they want is a cleaning", pressures the hygienist to see new patients this is not good quality of care). Why? you may ask. The doctor needs to do a thorough comprehensive exam with x-rays to make sure he is not neglecting an issue that could have been prevented. Also, believe it or not, but the hygienist needs current x-rays to do a quality cleaning. And yes, you may have something wrong and not even feel it.We use them to examine bone level, radiographic calculus(heavy hardened tartar/plaque),decay among other things...He willl lso review your health history to make sure there is nothing you have forgotten to list (think of it like an editor). So the appointment will go as followed:

1.x-rays(by dentist,assistant or hygienist) 2. comprehensive exam (by dentist) 3. diagnosis of type of cleaning (dentist and/or hygienist) 4. treatment plan 5. bring back for treatment and/ or cleaning.

1. You will receive a complete series of x-rays this is usually about 18 single radiographs(sometime 20) aka x-rays or PA'S. This set is also called a FMX or FMS (full mouth series/x-rays). This allows us to see below the gum line, the roots of the teeth ,between the teeth, bone level, calculus(hardened tarter, above and below the gum line) ,decay, abscesses and many other things. Thankfully, technology gets better and better and the radiation from the dental x-rays is so small, you actually get more radiation being in the sun or watching TV than in the dental chair. (now MRI's and CT scans are a different story, try and limit those)

Did you know that x-rays are not just to check for cavities, but is also used to catch early developments of cancer, tumor growths, cysts, anomalies, sinus problems,gum disease, etc. So those yearly "check up" x-rays that we take, help us to screen for more than just decay :) and it's only 6 instead of 18.

2. After the x-rays are taken you will then be seen by the dentist who will want to document the work (fillings, crowns, implants...)you have already had done in the past and then check to see if there are any suspicious areas. i.e. decay. This also helps the hygienist when she is doing the cleaning... He/She will also assess your gums, or may call in the hygienist at this time to diagnose what type of cleaning you will need. The hygienist may also perform an oral cancer exam if the doctor hasn't done one already (this is very simple and quick, kind of like a massage for the face ). The hygienist will then do a comprehensive exam for the foundation of your teeth; meaning your gums and bone. This is important because this is what holds your teeth in. Depending on the type of cleaning, you most likely will come back for another appointment to do the cleaning. It is not uncommon, to not get a cleaning on the first visit. The hygienist/dentist or assistant may also take your blood pressure, pulse and heart rate for records. This is important if we need to anesthetize (numb you up) for any treatment, because anesthesia can affect a patients blood pressure not to mention it being added upon by the anxiety of already being in the office. As dental professionals, the American Heart Association has set certain standards to follow regarding dental treatment and dental treatment with anesthetics. It is recommended we do this in the interest of the patients health and to monitor and refer since high blood pressure is the "Silent Killer". A quality dental office will always do a comprehensive exam to understand where there patient is coming from. (I have a couple of stories on this maybe I will do a story time blog)

3. They will then write up the treatment plan . Sometimes they will give you a couple options. Meaning they will give you the best option that they would recommend doing. But then will list other options which are available, such as: wait and see, or just do patch work ,or the non- esthetic option, or unfortunately, there may only be one option .(cue sound effect) wa, wa, wa... it just depends on your case.

Then your on your way :) see you at the cleaning appointment :)

Now if you are going to the dentist for an emergency toothache it will be different. Most likely, you will still need to fill out paper work but they will only address the matter at hand in that appointment and and bring you back to address the comprehensive exam and cleaning.

Like I said, this is based upon an ideal private practice, one whose interests are in the quality care of the patient. Many corporate and groups run it a bit different, not all but many.Some will switch the order of things but will still get all the important things done and cared for.

I prefer the above because it is not ran like a conveyor belt. Instead, I prefer more one on one with the patients and really getting to the root of the problem instead of the band-aid approach. Working with the doctor to help you maintain a healthy mouth and a healthy body.

tip: the hygienist has one hour, usually.So if your on time she can stay on time, but if you're late you either throw the day off for the rest of the patients or you are paying for a full cleaning appointment but only getting a 20 or 30 minute cleaning, not smart. just be respectfull and be punctual:)