Dental Terms Challenge A-Z Part 2 – How many E-L dental terms do you know?

This blog, previous and subsequent blogs in this series of challenges are not a comprehensive glossary of dental terms. The challenges are intended to be educational in nature and are offered as an entertaining way to learn some words used in the dental world.

Challenge yourself or battle it out with others to get the best score. Tally the score but reduce it by the number of incorrect answers. You can even run it like a game of Jeopardy. However, you decide to play, have fun!

How many dental terms can you match with the correct definition?

Click here to access the printable PDF.

TERMS

1. edentulous   2. enamel   3. endodontics/endodontist   4. erosion   5. excision   6. extracoronal   7. extraction   8. frenum   9. full-mouth x-ray   10. furcation   11. gingiva/gingivitis   12. graft   13. impacted tooth   14. inlay   15. labial/buccal   16. laminates   17. lesion   18. lingual

 

DEFINITIONS

A. No this doesn’t refer to a royal wearing more than one crown! In dentistry it means outside the crown of a tooth.

B. Add this to your list of word trivia! It refers to the skin that connects the lower lip to the lower jaw, and the tissue connecting the tongue and lips to the gums. Hint: The word begins with the letter ‘f.’ 

C. In Britain this means hard, manual labour work. In dental circles however, it refers to the implantation of bone from one part of the body to another – namely the jaw. This might be done in order to build up the jaw bone in readiness for dental implants needed as a result of teeth loss due to injury or advanced gum disease.

D. This can be made of gold, silver or porcelain and is used to fill a cavity. An impression of the affected tooth is made and then a mold is created from that impression using the material chosen by the patient. This mold is laid over the tooth and cavity and cemented in place.

E. If a staycation refers to a vacation staying at home does this word mean a vacation from wearing fur? Not exactly! It actually refers to bone loss resulting from tooth disease. The bone loss usually occurs at the where two or more roots branch apart.

F. This word can relate to speech or language. Consider adding the prefix ‘bi’ or multi’ to this word and you will get the drift. In the world of medicine and dentistry though, this word refers to describing a location relative to the tongue. For example, by adding the prefix ‘sub’ to it you now have a word meaning “under the tongue.”

G. This is a tooth that has not erupted through the gum and has grown improperly in the gum / jaw. Surgery is required to correct this issue.

H. Weather conditions can cause this to happen to landforms such as cliffs and the meaning is similar in dentistry. For dentists, this refers to the wearing down of tooth structure by acids.

I. These are opposites. One refers to the side of the teeth facing the inside of the lip area. The other refers to the side of the teeth facing the mouth cavity.

J. This may not be a word you hear often in the dentist’s office but it’s an interesting word just the same. It means to be without teeth or toothless. A person can be partially or completely this.

K. Defined as made of layers stuck together these can be found in the worlds of flooring, woodworking and dentistry. In dentistry it refers to very thin layers of porcelain made to look like a tooth. These are bonded to teeth (usually to one or more front teeth) to cover up discolouration or damage. They are also known as veneers.

L. The study and treatment of disease and injuries of the soft tissues inside a tooth. Those soft tissues are known as the dental pulp. Treatment procedures performed by these specialists include repair of cracked teeth and root canals.

M. This is a series of 20 images and is used as a diagnostic tool. It includes images of all the teeth (their crowns and roots) and the jawbone around them. 

N. This might be the easiest one of all! The word can refer to an injury, an open wound or an open sore.

O. When a dentist performs this procedure they are surgically removing bone or connecting tissue.

P. Yes, you can find jewelry or cooking vessels coated with this and in dentistry it also acts like a coating. Teeth have four layers. The first or outer layer is a hard, translucent layer that protects the inner layers and the crown of teeth. 

Q. They are the gums that hold teeth in place. If these become red, swollen or irritated it can be sign of this invasive gum disease.

R. In the dental world this word refers to the act of removing a tooth.  

 

ANSWERS:

1. J      2.  P      3.   L      4.  H      5.  O      6.  A      7.  R      8.  B       9.  M     10.  E 

     11.  Q     12.   C     13.  G     14.  D     15.  I     16.  K     17.  N     18.  F

 

Sources:

Aspen Dental, https://www.aspendental.com/oral-health/dental-terms-glossary

Absolute Dental, https://www.absolutedental.com/glossary-dental-terms/

Cambridge English Dictionary, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/ 

Dentist Directory Canada, https://www.dentistdirectorycanada.ca/dental-industry-terminology/ 

Merriam Webster Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lingual