Chlorhexidine digluconate
Chlorhexidine digluconate is a bacteriostatic agent. It prevents the proliferation of bacteria. Chlorhexidine digluconate is used in mouth rinses and can effectively support home-based dental care during difficult periods. Disadvantages are taste irritations and – with prolonged use – a discoloration of the teeth which is removable.
Cinchback
Cinchback is the English technical term for the bending of wires behind the rearmost brackets or tubes on the dental arch. The purpose of the cinchbacks is to prevent slipping of the wires, occasionally also to control the increase in arch length.
ClearAligner
ClearAligner is an aligner product which is manufactured in the dental laboratories. In this way, a higher part of the added value remains with the orthodontists. Technically, ClearAligner is the most advanced product after the market leader Invisalign® and is suitable for medium size treatments.
Cleft lip and palate
The cleft lip and palate – longitudinal split of the upper lip, the upper jaw and the palate occurring approximately every 500th birth ranging from an indicated splitting of the lip to the complete split-up of the entire area. There are one-sided and two-sided forms. Nowadays, the children undergo oral surgery and orthodontic treatment and […]
Cleft palate
Longitudinal cleft of the palate which appears approximately at every 500th birth ranging from an indicated split of the suppository to the complete cleft of the entire palate. Today, the children are mainly completely rehabilitated by oral surgery with some orthodontic support.
ClinCheck®
ClinCheck® is a special software of Align Technology, the manufacturer of Invisalign®. It is used for the planning and visualization of aligner treatments. Moreover, it is a well-engineered 3D software that provides the orthodontist with a wide range of tools.
CMD
This is an abbreviation for Craniomandibular Dysfunction which is usually an umbrella term for painful disorders of the chewing muscles or the temporomandibular (jaw) joints. This usually involves about 75% muscle pain and only about 25% pain in the jaw joints. Like most common neck, shoulder and back pain, CMD belongs to the category of […]
Cocci
Bacteria of spherical shape
Concrement
Tartar (dental calculus) under the gum line in the gingival pockets, mostly dark colored by inflammatory bleeding and very hard.
Coronal
Coronal is a directional term for: in the direction of the tooth crown.
Corticotomy
Corticotomy is a surgical procedure used to mill grooves in the jawbone. It can be performed either through the gum or with opening a flap in the gum. In the latter case the tissue is reattached after the corticotomy. This procedure makes it possible to significantly speed up orthodontic treatment for a period of around […]
Crossbite
The crossbite describes a reverse overbite of the teeth. The upper dental arch is usually bigger and broader than the lower so that both the front and posterior teeth overlap the lower teeth in the bite. However, in the case of crossbite, the lower teeth actually overlap the upper teeth. A frontal crossbite can sometimes […]
Crowding
This term refers to crowded teeth on a too small space. Crowding is a result of a space deficiency or a disharmony between the dental substance and the space in the jawbone.
Crozat Appliance
This is a removable brace which consists of soldered wire elements that was developed by G. Crozat around 1900. The wire parts are mainly positioned on the inside of the teeth, so that it is almost invisible while speaking. Since the Crozat-Appliance does not have any big plastic parts, it does not affect the speech […]
Curve of Spee
The curve of Spee is the compensatory curve of the dental arches in the sagittal plane.
Curve of Wilson
The curve of Wilson is the compensatory curve of the dental arches, sometimes also called the curve of Monson.
Damon Bracket
This is a self-ligating bracket made by Ormco. This company has launched this bracket onto the market supported by a previously unheard amount of advertising and numerous wonderful promises. In summary, with the Damon bracket it is no longer supposed to be necessary to sacrifice other teeth where there is severe crowding because this problem […]
Deckbiss
This is an obsolete term which is only used in Germany. It refers to the pronounced Angle-Class II/2. It is characterized by a retrusive occlusion in the lower jaw, a large upper jaw, upper front teeth that are leaning sharply inwards and a deep overbite in the front teeth.
Deep Bite
This term refers to a deep overbite in the front teeth that goes in a vertical direction. It causes the lower incisors to be mostly or completely covered by the upper incisors when the bite comes together. It often causes the lower incisors to dig into the palate and, in extreme cases the upper incisors […]
Dehiscence
Dehiscence is a local decline of the bone overlying the tooth roots, usually on the outside. The long-term consequences of dehiscence of the bone are a decrease in gum and an exposed tooth root. Dehiscence of the jawbone is one of the typical risks of orthodontic treatment.
Delaire Mask
This is an extra-oral appliance that was developed by J. Delaire and H. Petit in France and is used for the treatment of a protruded lower jaw (reverse lower-jaw overbite) in children and – to a limited extent – in adolescents. It consists of two pads – one on the chin and one on the […]
Demineralisation
Demineralisation describes the loss of mineral substance, in dentistry it’s the decalcification of the tooth enamel. This causes white or brown spots or even leads to caries. The English term for demineralisation is white-spot-lesion. Demineralisation can occur as a side-effect during the treatment with fixed appliances if oral hygiene isn’t sufficient. In contrast demineralisation doesn’t […]
Dental enamel
The almost exclusively anorganic-crystalline substance which covers the dental crowns. Dental enamel is the hardest substance in the human body.
Dental nerve
Colloquial term for the dental pulp
Dental plaque
See plaque
Dental pulp
In colloquial terms this fibrous structure in the middle of the tooth is called nerve. Blood vessels and nerve tracts run through the dental pulp.
Dentin
The dentin is the most important hard substance of the tooth, along with the enamel and root cementum.
Dentitio difficilis
A difficult tooth eruption with concomitant inflammation, swelling and pain
Diastema mediale
Tooth gap between the central incisors. A diastema means no health risk at all, but is seen as an aesthetic problem by some people.
Digital volume tomography (DVT)
The digital volume tomography is an X-ray computed tomography which allows three-dimensional imaging of the examined tissue. Due to the cone beam technique there’s less radiation exposure compared to the older computed tomography (CT). Nonetheless, a high-resolution DVT still has a multiple of the radiation exposure of conventional orthodontic X-rays like OPG or Ceph. In […]
Discus articularis
Discus articularis is the Latin term for the joint disc, e.g. of the temporomandibular joint.
Distal
Distal is a directional term for: in the direction of the end of the dental arch.
Distal occlusion
This refers to the backward position of the lower jaw or the lower row of teeth and is usually associated with an enlarged overbite of the incisors.
Distraction Osteogenesis
This refers to the gradual stretching of segments of bone that were previously divided by using so-called dental distractors, whereby the growth of new bone in the resulting gap can be quickly stimulated. Originally developed by Ilizarov in order to lengthen hollow bones in the extremities, Distraction Osteogenesis is now being used successfully in dento-facial […]
Dysfunction of the tongue
Tongue dysfunction is usually referred to as the flat tongue position and the insertion of the tongue between the teeth. Common side effects of tongue dysfunction are sigmatism (lisp) and an open bite.
Dysgnathia
Dysgnathia refers to an improper bite. In a broader sense it describes all kinds of tooth irregularities or disproportionate jaw relationships. Moreover, dysgnathia is a descriptive term which refers to anatomy but it has almost nothing to do with health or illness.
Dysgnathia Surgery
This term refers to a branch of dento-facial surgery that is concerned with the surgical lengthening of either a part of a jaw or of a whole jaw where there is a pronounced deviation in the position of the jaw itself. The most common intervention involves moving the position of the lower jaw forwards, backwards […]
Early orthodontic treatment
Early orthodontic treatment refers to those treatments which start before the age of 10-12. In fact, there’re only a few honest reasons for early orthodontic treatment: The frontal and total lateral cross bite and other rare findings. It’s a pity that in Germany early orthodontic treatment is conducted excessively leading to elongated treatment duration and […]
Edge-to-edge bite
Edge-to-edge bite refers to the fact that a normal overjet between upper and lower teeth isn’t given. The direct contact of the teeth can lead to abrasion. An edge-to-edge-bite of the front teeth is regarded as a finding requiring treatment according to the KIG index. It leads to an entitlement to benefits from the statutory […]
Elongation
Elongation means extension, e.g. the outgrowth of a tooth over the level of its neighboring teeth.
Enamel decalcification or white spots
Enamel decalcification or white spots: See demineralisation
Erosion
Loss of dental substance due to chemical attack, mostly due to food-borne acids, also in case of reflux disease and bulimia. Typically, erosions are found on the insides of the upper anterior teeth and can be detected as a smooth, flat ablation which is not caused by tooth contacts. Acidic fruits, fruit juices and, above […]
ESSIX
It is an older aligner product developed by the American orthodontist J. Sheridan. It is suitable for small corrections of the anterior teeth.
Eugnathia
Eugnathia refers to a normal occlusion (proper bite). In a broader sense a good positioning of teeth and jaws. Moreover, eugnathia is a descriptive term which refers to anatomy but it has almost nothing to do with health or illness.
Extraction
Extraction is the technical term for pulling teeth. The extraction of permanent teeth is a reasonable treatment option in about 20 % of orthodontic patients.
Extraoral
Outside the oral cavity
Extrusion
Extrusion describes the vertical movement of teeth while moving them slowly out of their alveoles. There’s no elongation of the dental crown because the surrounding tissues like gingiva and jaw bone move with the dental root. Extrusion is usually predictable only with fixed appliances, but can be achieved to a certain extent with aligners such […]
Face Mask
This is an extra-oral appliance that was developed by J. Delaire and H. Petit in France and is used for the treatment of mandibular protrusion (lower jaw overbite). See Delaire Mask
Facial
Belonging to the face
Fascial
Concerning the fascia