| Acid Etch |
A weak acid which is
applied to the teeth to prepare the teeth for brackets |
| Alginate |
A flavoured
plaster-like compound used to take impressions |
| Angles Classification |
A description used to
classify the different types of malocclusion |
| Ankylosis |
Abnormal immobility of
a tooth, where it becomes directly attached to the bone. |
| Anodontia |
Congenital absence of
all the teeth (c.f. hypodontia) |
| Anterior |
Situated in the front,
a term commonly used to denote the incisor and canine teeth |
| Apex |
The top of the tooth
root |
| Appliance |
A fixed or removable
device which the orthodontist uses to change the position of teeth or jaws |
| Arch |
The ensemble of teeth
in either jaw in a horseshoe shape |
| Arch Wire |
A wire which is
attached to brackets to move teeth to their correct position |
| Articulator |
A device to hold models
of the teeth which allows the teeth and their position to be studied |
| Attrition |
Wearing away of the
biting surfaces of the teeth |
| Band |
A thin strip of metal
which is placed around the back teeth with dental cement and allows brackets to be
attached |
| Banding |
The process of
cementing orthodontic bands to the teeth |
| Bite |
An imprint of the
teeth, usually on wax used to examine the relationship of the upper and lower teeth on
study models |
| Bite plane |
A removable appliance
made of acrylic designed to open a deep bite |
| Bonding |
The process of
attaching brackets to the teeth using a special glue |
| Braces |
Appliances used to move
teeth and jaws into the correct position |
| Bracket |
A metal or ceramic or
porcelain attachment that is glued onto a tooth and serves as a means of fastening the
arch wire |
| Breakaway |
A safety device used in
headgear |
| Bridge |
An artificial appliance
used to replace the natural teeth, which is bonded to adjacent teeth. |
| Bruxism |
The grinding of the
teeth during sleep; occurs in children and adults and causes abrasion of the tooth enamel |
| Caries |
Dental decay resulting
from the action of bacteria on sugary foods |
| Cast |
A study model, in
plaster or in stone, of the teeth and dental arch |
| Cementum |
The layer of bony
tissue covering the root of a tooth |
| Centric Occlusion |
The relation of the
teeth of one arch to those of the other when the jaws are closed |
| Cephalometric X-Ray |
An X-ray of the head
and jaw bones that shows how the teeth and jaws are aligned and whether they are growing
properly (c.f. tracing) |
| Cheek retractor |
An instrument used to
hold the lips and cheeks out of the operator's way |
| Clasp |
The metal part of a
retainer which helps retain, support and stabilise an appliance |
| Class I malocclusion |
The teeth are
mis-aligned and irregular but meet correctly |
| Class II malocclusion |
The upper jaw and teeth
protrude relative to the lower jaw and teeth, the teeth may also be irregular |
| Class III malocclusion |
The lower jaw and teeth
protrude relative to the upper jaw and teeth, the teeth may also be irregular |
| Cleft Palate |
A congenital opening in
the palate, it maybe involve the hard or soft palate or both |
| Cleft Lip |
A congenital opening in
the lip |
| Consultation |
A meeting with an
orthodontist where the orthodontic problem is diagnosed and discussed, often with the aid
of X-rays and study models |
| Congenital |
Occurring before birth |
| Cross Bite |
A malocclusion where
the upper teeth bite inside the lower teeth |
| Crowding |
A malocclusion caused
by insufficient space for the teeth |
| Curing Light |
Special light used to
set the adhesive which bonds the brackets to the teeth |
| Debanding |
Removal of cemented
orthodontic bands |
| Debonding |
Removal of the brackets
from the teeth |
| Deciduous teeth |
Baby or first teeth
which fall out and are replaced by the permanent teeth, there are 10 in each jaw |
| Deep bite |
Excessive over bite
which may damage the gingiva |
| Dentine |
The hard inner layer of
the tooth |
| Diastema |
A gap between two
teeth, usually at the front of the mouth |
| Disclosing tablets |
Food dye used to stain
plaque and deposits on the teeth as an aid to tooth brushing |
| Enamel |
The hard calcified
tissue which covers the dentine of the crown portion of a tooth. Enamel is the hardest
tissue in the human body. |
| Erosion |
A defect in the surface
of a tooth, usually the result of the chemical action of acids in fizzy drinks |
| Eruption |
Emergence of the tooth
through the gums |
| Exfoliation |
The physiologic loss of
the deciduous teeth |
| Extra-Oral |
Outside the mouth |
| Facebow |
A wire appliance used
to provide a force to move teeth, it connects to bands or a removable appliance and to
either a neckstrap or headgear, it has to be worn very well to be effective |
| Fixed appliance |
Any orthodontic
component that is cemented or bonded to the teeth, it is extremely accurate at moving
teeth and needs careful adjustment and monitoring |
| Fluoride |
A natural element which
strengthens teeth and prevents dental decay, when used during orthodontic treatment it
helps protect the teeth from decay |
| Fraenum |
A piece of fleshy gum
which is attached to the upper or lower lip or tongue |
| Functional Appliance |
A special removable
appliance which changes the way the teeth and jaws bite together |
| Gingiva |
That part of the gum
which surrounds the teeth |
| Headgear |
Connects to a facebow
to provide a force to move teeth |
| Hypodontia |
Congenital absence of
one or more teeth |
| Impacted tooth |
A tooth that is
embedded in the jaw and is prevented from erupting normally |
| Impression |
An imprint of the teeth
made in alginate, used to make study models |
| Interceptive Treatment |
Treatment carried out
at an early age to allow the more definitive treatment to be more easily completed at a
later stage |
| Intra-Oral |
Inside the mouth |
| Intra Oral Traction |
Attaching elastic bands
or other devices to the upper and lower teeth in order to produce the force to move teeth |
| Inter-proximal Reduction |
Polishing and reshaping
of the teeth to reduce crowding |
| Ligature |
A small elastic band or
wire which holds the arch wire to the bracket |
| Lingual arch |
A wire attached to
bands, fixed on the inside of the mouth |
| Lingual retainer |
A fixed or bonded
retainer, fixed behind the upper or lower front teeth |
| Lip Bumper |
A wire attached to
bands, allowing space to be gained by moving the back teeth |
| Malocclusion |
Abnormal occlusion of
the teeth or jaws |
| Mandible |
The lower jaw |
| Maxilla |
The upper jaw |
| Mouthguard |
A soft moulded
appliance which protects the teeth and orthodontic appliances when playing contact sports |
| Neck Pad |
A padded strap which is
attached to a facebow |
| Nickel Titanium |
An especially flexible
orthodontic wire |
| Occlusion |
The meeting together of
the upper and lower teeth and jaws |
| Open bite |
A malocclusion in which
the teeth do not meet together |
| Oral Surgery |
The speciality of
dentistry concerned with surgical procedures in and about the mouth and jaws |
| Orthodontics |
Orthodontics is a
specialised branch of dentistry concerned with the development and management of
irregularities and abnormalities of the teeth, jaws and face. Its aim is to produce
a healthy, functional bite, creating greater resistance to disease and improving personal
appearance. This contributes to mental and physical well-being. |
| Orthodontist |
A dentist who has
special qualifications and training in orthodontics |
| Orthognathic Surgery |
Correction of the jaws
by means of an operation, usually combined with orthodontic straightening of the teeth |
| Overbite |
The vertical overlap of
the upper over the lower teeth |
| Overjet |
The horizontal overlap
of the upper teeth over the lower teeth |
| Palatal arch |
A wire attached to
bands fitted across the roof of the mouth |
| Panoramic X- ray |
An X-ray taken by a
machine that rotates around the head. It shows all the teeth on one X-ray |
| Periodontics |
The speciality of
dentistry concerned with diseases of the gums |
| Permanent teeth |
The secondary or adult
teeth, there are 16 in each arch |
| Plaque |
A deposit formed by the
action of bacteria on sugary foods, the cause of caries |
| Posterior |
Situated at the back of
the mouth, refers to the premolar and molar teeth |
| Prophylaxis |
The cleaning of the
teeth prior to bonding |
| Protrusion |
An increased overjet |
| Pulp |
The internal part of
the tooth containing nerves and blood vessels |
| Quadhelix |
A palatal arch which
can be adjusted to move the teeth, often used to correct a crossbite |
| Radiograph |
A type of photograph
using x-rays which shows the teeth and jaws |
| Referral |
Sending a patient to
another dentist or specialist for diagnosis and/or treatment |
| Relapse |
The return of features
towards the original malocclusion following orthodontic treatment |
| Retainer |
A fixed or removable
appliance for maintaining the positions of the teeth and jaws after orthodontic treatment |
| Safety Strap |
A plastic strap which
prevents a facebow from coming loose |
| Separator |
A plastic or metal part
which is used to create space between back teeth prior to banding |
| Sleep Apnoea |
A condition where
normal breathing pattern is disturbed during sleep, may be correctable by orthodontic
treatment |
| Space Maintainer |
An appliance used to
prevent adjacent and opposing teeth from moving into the space left by the loss of a tooth |
| Speech Therapist |
A person who
specialises in correcting speech defects |
| Sterilisation |
The destruction of
bacteria or germs by heat or chemical means |
| Study Models |
Plaster casts of the
teeth which allow the position of the teeth and jaws to be examined |
| Supernumerary |
An extra tooth |
| Temporomandi bular Joint |
The joint formed by the
head of the mandible and the base of the skull |
| Tracing |
A measurement of a
Cephalometric x-ray which helps the orthodontist in diagnosis and treatment planning line |
| Traction |
A term for applying
force to teeth |
| Traumatic occlusion |
An abnormal occlusion
that is capable of producing, or has produced, injury to the tooth and/or its supporting
structures |
| Trauma |
An injury to the teeth
or jaws |
| Treatment Plan |
An outline of the
clinical steps which are to be followed in restoring a mouth to health and function |
| Wax |
Prevents braces from
rubbing the cheeks and lips |
| Wisdom teeth |
The third molars |
| X-rays |
Used to produce
radiographs of the teeth and jaws |
