It can sometimes be intimidating to hear your dentist describe what's going on in your mouth after an oral exam. Your dentist may forget they aren't in dental school and throw around some big words to describe otherwise common oral health issues. If you've ever gone home after an appointment and Googled the words your dentist used, this post is for you. We're going to demystify some dental lingo and simplify several terms you may have heard around your dentist's office.
Bruxism: If you've ever gotten a custom mouth guard for sleeping, you may have heard your dentist describe your condition as bruxism. This is a common problem usually called teeth grinding or jaw clenching. In dentistry, bruxism is divided into two categories and treated a little differently depending on if you're awake or asleep when you're doing it.
Diastema: Invisalign or braces might be good treatments for a diastema, which is the term dentists use to describe a gap between two teeth. Diastemata (plural) are best treated in childhood, but many affordable treatments also exist for adults.
Caries: Simply put, a dental cary is a cavity. Caries are the visible symptom of acid breaking down tooth enamel and causing tooth decay. Not-so-fun-fact: nearly one-third of the world population has a dental cary in their permanent teeth!
Dental Prophylaxis: You may have overheard your dentist tell the front office staff to schedule your next dental prophylaxis. This is a fancy way for your dentist to get your next cleaning scheduled. This routine procedure is beneficial for many reasons. Make sure to schedule at least two a year!
Calculus: In dentistry, calculus means something way different than the painful class you had Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in high school. Calculus is the hard deposit left on your teeth when plaque doesn't get removed. It's sometimes more common name is "tartar."
Malocclusion: This term can be used in several different ways, but is commonly used in reference to an overbite. Technically, however, a malocclusion is any misalignment between the upper and lower teeth and how they come together when the jaw is closed.
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We hope this mini-glossary gives you some new useful words for your oral health vocabulary. If you enjoy our blog, please consider liking our Facebook page to see our new posts!