Dental surgeons
- braces: used to reposition teeth that have developed an "improper bite". Most improper bites can be fixed with a simple bracket, or brace, which slowly moves the jaw and teeth into a correct position. Dentists will often then fit a patient with retainers—moulded braces with lighter metal brackets, used to hold the teeth in their correct position.
- canines: the sharp teeth on either side of the big front teeth, pointed and sharp to enable the teeth to cut into food.
- cosmetic dentistry: a range of techniques aimed at improving the patient's appearance, including crowns and whitening treatments.
- crown: the part of the tooth protruding from the gumline. Also a cover or cap used by a dentist to restore teeth to their original appearance/use. These can be made from gold, porcelain or various specialist metal-free composites.
- enamel: the hard bit of the tooth that covers the crown.
- floss: nylon or plastic thread used to scrape food and plaque from teeth.
- gingivitis: inflammation of the gums, caused by bacterial plaque getting wedged in the small spaces between gums and teeth.
- molar: the wide back teeth, used for grinding food.
- oral hygiene: while dentists treat faults and problems with teeth, an oral hygienist deals with the business of keeping your mouth clean to prevent dental problems. Dentists can do a lot of what hygienists do—such as scaling and polishing—but many now choose to concentrate on problem-solving, rather than cleaning.
- orthodontics: the branch of dentistry that deals with preventing or correcting irregularities of the teeth.
- plaque: a coating of micro-organisms and bacteria that can build up on the teeth, causing an excess of acid, and leading eventually to dental decay.
- root: the bit of the tooth below the crown, made up of dentin and housing the root canal.
- wisdom tooth: or 'third molar'. The number of wisdom teeth a person has varies from none to four. Sometimes they are present in the gum but don't push through into the mouth—in which case they can end up getting in the way, and needing to be removed by your dentist under local anaesthetic or in hospital under general anaesthetic.
All guides on Yell.com are provided for general guidance only, do not constitute legal or professional advice and are not intended to be exhaustive.
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