Dental Glossary

Medically reviewed by: Dr. Kinan Bonni · Last updated: 2026-10-27

Abutment (implant abutment)

An abutment is the connector that sits on a dental implant, passes through the gum and holds the crown, bridge or full-arch prosthesis in place.

All-on-4

All-on-4 is a technique that replaces all the teeth in one jaw with a fixed bridge on four implants, two upright at the front and two angled at the back.

All-on-6

All-on-6 replaces every tooth in one jaw with a fixed bridge screwed onto six implants spread along the arch.

Axiography

Axiography is a functional test that records how the jaw joint moves as you open and close the mouth, push the jaw forward and move it to each side.

Bone graft

A dental bone graft adds bone or bone-substitute material where jawbone has been lost, so an implant can be placed securely or a socket keeps its shape after extraction.

CAD/CAM

CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing) is the digital workflow in which crowns, veneers, bridges and implant parts are designed on a computer and then milled or 3D-printed.

CBCT scan

A CBCT (cone beam computed tomography) scan is a 3D X-ray of the teeth and jaws that shows bone height, width and density, nerves, sinuses and roots in three dimensions.

Ceramist / dental lab

A dental ceramist is the dental-lab professional who designs, builds, layers and finishes ceramic restorations such as veneers, crowns and bridges to a dentist's prescription.

Composite veneers

Composite veneers are layers of tooth-coloured resin bonded over the whole visible surface of a tooth and sculpted by hand to change its shape, length or colour.

Condylography

Condylography is a recording of the path the condyle, the rounded upper end of the lower jaw, travels inside the jaw joint during jaw movements.

Dental bridge

A dental bridge is a fixed replacement for one or more missing teeth: an artificial tooth, the pontic, joined to crowns or wings attached to the neighbouring teeth, or to dental implants.

Dental crown

A dental crown is a cap, usually ceramic, that covers the whole visible part of a tooth to hold it together and restore its shape, strength and bite.

Dental implant

A dental implant is a small post, usually titanium, placed in the jawbone to replace a missing tooth's root; once bone has bonded to it, it carries a crown, bridge or full-arch prosthesis.

Dental microscope

A dental operating microscope is a magnifying instrument with its own light, used by the dentist to see fine details inside and around a tooth during root canal treatment and precise restorative work.

Digital smile design (DSD)

Digital smile design (DSD) is a planning method in which the dentist uses facial photographs, video and a 3D scan of the teeth to design new tooth shapes that fit the face, lips and gums.

E.max (lithium disilicate)

E.max is a lithium disilicate glass-ceramic used for veneers and crowns because it combines natural-looking translucency with several times the strength of feldspathic porcelain.

Full-mouth rehabilitation

Full-mouth rehabilitation is a planned rebuild of many or all teeth in both jaws, combining treatments such as crowns, bridges, implants, veneers, root canal and gum care to restore bite, chewing and appearance.

GBT (Guided Biofilm Therapy)

Guided Biofilm Therapy (GBT) is a professional cleaning protocol in which a disclosing dye shows plaque, which is removed with warm water, air and fine powder before any remaining tartar.

Guided implant surgery

Guided implant surgery is a technique in which implant position, depth and angle are planned on a CBCT scan, then transferred to the mouth with a custom guide that steers the drill.

Gum contouring (laser)

Laser gum contouring is a procedure that uses a dental soft-tissue laser to remove or reshape excess gum, so that more of each tooth shows and the gum line looks even.

Hollywood smile

A Hollywood smile is a whole-smile cosmetic plan, usually porcelain veneers on the teeth that show when smiling, sometimes combined with crowns, gum contouring or whitening, designed together to suit the face.

Immediate (same-day) implants

Immediate implants are implants placed straight into the socket at the time of extraction; immediate loading, often called same-day implants, means a fixed temporary tooth or bridge is attached the same day.

Invisalign / clear aligners

Clear aligners are removable, transparent plastic trays made from a 3D scan that move the teeth in small planned steps; Invisalign is a widely used aligner system.

Lingual braces

Lingual braces are fixed orthodontic braces bonded to the inside surfaces of the teeth, the side facing the tongue, so they are hidden when you smile and talk.

Maryland bridge

A Maryland bridge, or resin-bonded bridge, replaces a missing tooth with a false tooth attached to a thin wing bonded to the back of one or both neighbouring teeth, with little or no drilling.

Mock-up (trial smile)

A mock-up, or trial smile, is a temporary copy of the planned new teeth placed over your own unprepared teeth, so you can see, test and adjust the design before anything irreversible is done.

No-prep veneers

No-prep veneers are very thin ceramic veneers bonded to the front of the teeth without first removing enamel, so they add a little thickness to each tooth.

Occlusion (bite)

Occlusion is the way the upper and lower teeth meet when the jaws close and move, including how the biting forces are shared between teeth, jaw joints and chewing muscles.

Porcelain (feldspathic) veneers

Porcelain veneers are thin shells of dental ceramic bonded to the front of the teeth; feldspathic veneers are the traditional type, built up by hand from porcelain powder and fired in layers.

Retainer

A retainer is an appliance worn after braces or aligners to hold the teeth in their new positions, either a thin wire bonded behind the teeth, a removable tray or plate, or both.

Root canal treatment

Root canal treatment is a procedure that removes inflamed or infected pulp from inside a tooth, then cleans, disinfects, shapes and seals the root canals so the tooth can be kept.

Shade matching

Shade matching is the process of recording a tooth's colour, brightness (value), intensity (chroma), hue and translucency, so that a crown, veneer or implant tooth can be made to blend with natural teeth.

Sinus lift

A sinus lift, or sinus floor augmentation, raises the lining of the maxillary sinus and places graft material beneath it to add bone height in the upper back jaw for dental implants.

Smile makeover

A smile makeover is a treatment plan that combines several procedures, such as whitening, bonding, aligners, gum contouring, veneers, crowns or implants, chosen tooth by tooth to change how the whole smile looks.

TMJ (temporomandibular joint)

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the joint on each side of the head that connects the lower jaw to the skull and lets the mouth open, close and move sideways.

Zirconia

Zirconia (zirconium oxide) is a white, metal-free dental ceramic, stronger than glass-ceramics such as E.max, used for crowns, bridges, implant restorations and, in selected cases, veneers.