abutment tooth

Abutment tooth

A crowned tooth that stabilizes a bridge or partial denture.

Mentioned in: Tooth Replacements and Restorations

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abutment tooth,

a tooth selected to support a prosthesis.

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tooth (teeth),

n one of the hard bodies or processes usually protruding from and attached to the alveolar process of the maxillae and the mandible; designed for the mastication of food.

teeth, anterior,

n.pl the incisor or canine front teeth.

teeth, canine,

n.pl the four canines; the third tooth located distal to the midline in any one of the four quadrants of the dentition.

teeth, deciduous,

n See deciduous; tooth, primary.

teeth, drugs for sensitivity of,

n.pl the medicaments used to treat hypersensitivity of the teeth. They should cause relatively little pain when applied; be easily applied, rapid in action, and permanently effective; and not discolor the teeth or unduly irritate the pulp. Substances used include 33% sodium fluoride in kaolin and glycerin, a 25% aqueous solution of strontium chloride, hot medicinal olive oil, and 0.9% solution of sodium silicofluoride.

teeth, grinding of,

n the selective modification of tooth form and contour in the occlusal adjustment operation to eliminate occlusal interferences and establish tooth contours conducive to the health of the periodontium. See also bruxism.

teeth, hereditary brown,

n.pl See hypoplasia, enamel, hereditary.

teeth, neonatal,

n.pl primary teeth that erupt into the oral cavity during the neonatal period (from birth to 30 days).

teeth, permanent,

n See dentition, permanent.

teeth, polishing of,

n See also polishing, coronal and polishing, selective.

teeth, posterior,

n.pl the maxillary and mandibular premolars and molars of the permanent dentition or the premolars and molars of prostheses.

teeth, primary,

n.pl 1. term used by some in preference to deciduous teeth; however, it has not received the approval of preference by the American Dental Association.
2. as a result of a survey of the terminology used to name the teeth of the first dentition, the College Committee Report of Dentistry for Children recommended in 1942 the use of
primary teeth in place of deciduous, first, milk, temporary, baby, or foundation teeth. The term
primary was suggested as a word “which may be acceptable to the dental profession, significant in its meaning, with no connotations of impermanence, and readily understood by nonprofessional people.” See also deciduous.

teeth, sensitivity of,

n a painful pulpal response to external stimuli such as heat, cold, and sweet substances. The most common clinical finding is a hyperesthetic state of the root surface resulting from loss of a portion of the cemental covering with exposure of the dentin. See also hypersensitivity, dentin.

teeth, separation of,

n the action of moving a tooth mesially or distally out of contact with its neighboring tooth.

teeth, set of,

n usually a full complement of maxillary and mandibular artificial teeth as they are carded by the manufacturer.

teeth, slow separation of,

n drifting apart of teeth accomplished over a long period, usually by the wedging action of a material such as gutta-percha, orthodontic wire, thread, or fibers in orthodontic therapy.

teeth, supportive mechanisms of,

n.pl the anatomic structures that function to maintain or aid in maintaining the teeth in position in their alveoli: the gingivae, cementum of the tooth, periodontal membrane, and alveolar and supporting bone. See also structures, supporting.

teeth, vital staining of,

n the staining of enamel and dentin of primary and permanent teeth during development with vital stains (e.g., with bile pigment in Rh incompatibility or with tetracyclines).

tooth, abutment,

n a tooth or teeth selected to support a prosthesis on the basis of the total surface areas of a healthy periodontium.

tooth, accessory

n supernumerary teeth that do not resemble normal teeth in size, shape, or location. See also distomolar; mesiodens; paramolar; tooth,

tooth, acrylic resin

n a tooth made of acrylic resin.

tooth, anatomic,

n an artificial tooth that closely resembles the anatomic form of a natural unabraded tooth.

tooth, ankylosed

n abnormal calcification of the periodontal ligament resulting in abnormal fixation of a tooth.

tooth, artificial,

n a tooth fabricated for use as a substitute for a natural tooth in a prosthesis; usually made of porcelain or plastic.

tooth-borne,

adj term used to describe a prosthesis or a part of a prosthesis that depends entirely on the abutment teeth for support.

tooth-borne base,

n the denture base restoring an edentulous area that has abutment teeth at each end for support. The tissue it covers is not used for support of the base.

tooth buds,

n.pl embryonic teeth formed during the fifth and sixth weeks of embryo development. See also odontogenesis.

tooth, cap stage,

n the second stage in the development of a tooth in which cells continue to proliferate to form the cap of a tooth.

tooth, conical (peg-shaped tooth),

n failure of morphologic development of the tooth germ found in ectodermal dysplasia and other disorders and occasionally found in normal children.

tooth, cross-bite,

n.pl the posterior teeth designed to permit the modified buccal cusps of the maxillary teeth to be positioned in the central fossae of the mandibular teeth.

tooth, cuspless,

n.pl teeth designed without cuspal prominences on the masticatory surfaces.

tooth, devital,

n See tooth, pulpless.

tooth, discoloration,

n a stain or change in color of a tooth, which can be caused by bloodborne pigment or blood decomposition within the pulp, usage of certain drugs, and trauma. See also tooth, pigmentation.

tooth, drifting,

n the migration of teeth from their normal positions in the dental arches as a result of such factors as loss of proximal support, loss of functional antagonists, occlusal traumatic tooth relationships, inflammatory and retrograde changes in the attachment apparatus, and oral habits.

tooth, embedded,

n an unerupted tooth, usually one completely covered with bone; also spelled
imbedded. See also tooth, impacted.

tooth eruption,

n the process by which the tooth moves from its site of formation to its position of function. It can be active or passive.

tooth, evulsed (avulsed tooth),

n a tooth that has been abnormally luxated from its alveolar support, commonly as a sequela to trauma.

tooth fairy,

n a mythologic fairy said to leave small amounts of cash in exchange for a child's exfoliated primary tooth, which has been left under the pillow.

tooth form,

n See form, tooth.

tooth fracture,

n See fracture, tooth.

tooth, fulcrum,

n the axis of movement of a tooth when lateral forces are applied to the tooth. The fulcrum is considered to be at the middle third of the portion of the root embedded in the alveolus and thus moves apically as the bone resorbs in periodontal disease.

tooth, fused,

n.pl two teeth united during development by the union of their tooth germs. The teeth may be joined by the enamel of their crowns, root dentin, or both. Usually consists of a single large crown.

tooth germ,

n the earliest evidence of a tooth. It includes the dental sac, dental papilla, and enamel organ.

tooth, geminated

n teeth with bifid crowns and confluent root canals resulting from the division of the enamel organ during the developmental period.

tooth, Hutchinson's,

n.pr the defects of the permanent incisors associated with congenital syphilis. Dental hypoplasia affects primarily the incisors, canines, and first permanent molars. The incisors have a screwdriver or peg-shaped appearance. See also triad, Hutchinson.

tooth, hypersensitive,

n a tooth that is painful when exposed to temperature changes, sweetness, or touch due to worn tooth enamel and, consequently, exposed dentin, usually near the cervix of the tooth.

tooth, hypoplasia of

n a reduction in the amount of enamel formed, resulting in irregular pits and grooves of the enamel.

tooth, immediate separation of,

n separation of teeth accomplished by the rapid wedging action of an appliance during restorative procedures.

tooth, impacted,

n a condition in which the unerupted or partially erupted tooth is positioned against another tooth, bone, or soft tissue so that complete eruption is unlikely. An impacted third molar tooth may be further described according to its position: buccoangular, distoangular, or vertical. An impacted maxillary canine tooth also may be further described according to its position: palatal (maxillary canine), lingual (mandibular canine), labial, or vertical.

tooth, inclination of,

n the angle of slope of teeth from the vertical planes of reference. A tooth may be mesially, distally, lingually, buccally, or labially inclined.

tooth, loss of,

n the separation of a tooth from its investing and supporting structures as a result of normal exfoliation attending loss of primary dentition, exfoliation as a sequela to excessive bone resorption and periapical migration of the epithelial attachment in periodontal disease, and instrumentation for extraction necessitated by pathologic involvement of the dental pulp, periodontium, or periapical tissues.

tooth, mesial movement of,

n migration of teeth toward the midline, occurring as a phenomenon associated with the action of the anterior component of force. Mesial migration of teeth occurs with the wear of their proximal surfaces resulting from the buccolingual movements of the teeth.

tooth, metal insert,

n an artificial tooth, usually of acrylic resin, containing an inserted ribbon of metal, or a cutting blade, in its occlusal surface, with one edge of the blade exposed; sometimes used in removable dentures.

tooth, migration of,

n the movement of teeth into altered positions in relationship to the basal bone of the alveolar process and adjoining and opposing teeth as a result of loss of approximating or opposing teeth, occlusal interferences, habits, or inflammatory and dystrophic disease of the attaching and supporting structures of the teeth.

tooth, missing,

n the absence of teeth from the dentition because of congenital factors, exfoliation, or extraction.

tooth mobility,

n the movability of a tooth resulting from loss of all or a portion of its attachment and supportive apparatus. Seen in periodontitis, occlusal traumatism, and periodontosis.

tooth morphology,

n the anatomic topography of the teeth.

tooth movement,

n See movement, tooth.

tooth, natal,

n.pl primary tooth found in the oral cavity at birth.

tooth, nonanatomic,

n artificial teeth so designed that the occlusal surfaces are not copies from natural forms but are given forms that in the opinion of the designer seem more nearly to fulfill the requirements of mastication and tissue tolerance.

Natal tooth.

tooth numbering systems,

n the graphing techniques used to chart a patient's primary and permanent teeth, as well as record any clinical and radiographic findings; the American Dental Association used the Universal Numbering System (numbering teeth 1 to 32). Other tooth numbering systems include the International Numbering System (a two-digit system) and the Palmer Numbering System (teeth numbered 1 to 8 in different quadrants).

tooth, peg-shaped,

n See tooth, conical.

tooth, pigmentation

n intrinsic discoloration of a tooth, which can be caused by bloodborne pigment or blood decomposition within the pulp, usage of certain drugs, and trauma.

tooth, pink,

n See resorption, internal.

tooth, plastic,

n artificial teeth constructed of synthetic resins.

tooth position,

n See position, tooth.

tooth, pulpless,

n a tooth from which the dental pulp has been removed or is necrotic.

tooth, replaced,

n See tooth, supplied.

tooth, replanted,

n a tooth that has been inserted back into the alveolus after accidentally being displaced.

tooth, rotated,

n an altered position of the tooth in relation to the adjacent and opposing teeth and its basal alveolar process; in such an altered position the tooth has been turned on its long axis and is in a state of torsiversion. The result is an altered contact with adjacent teeth that produces a possible locus for food impaction between the teeth, with consequent gingival damage.

tooth selection,

n See selection, tooth.

tooth, setting up of,

n the arranging of teeth on a trial denture base; includes proper relation with occluding teeth.

tooth, shell,

n a form of dentinal dysplasia characterized by large pulp chambers, meager coronal dentin, and usually no roots.

tooth size discrepancy,

n lack of proportional harmony in the width of various teeth, causing relative spacing and crowding in different parts of the dentition.

tooth, submerged,

n a tooth that has not erupted to the point of making contact with the opposing maxillary or mandibular tooth during mastication. Such a tooth may be immobile as a result of ankylosis to the mandible or maxilla.

tooth, succedaneous

n a permanent tooth with primary predecessors (i.e., premolars, canines, and incisors).

tooth, supernumerary,

n extra erupted or unerupted teeth that resemble teeth of normal shape.

Supernumerary tooth.

tooth, supplied (replaced teeth),

n.pl an artificial replacement for natural teeth.

tooth surface pocket wall,

n the portion of a narrow, infected sulcus that is adjacent to the surface of a tooth.

tooth, tube,

n.pl artificial teeth constructed with a vertical, cylindric aperture extending from the center of the base into the body of the tooth into which a pin or cast post for the attachment of the tooth to a denture base may be placed.

tooth, Turner's,

n.pr a permanent tooth showing hypoplasia resulting from injury or inflammation of the precedent primary tooth.

tooth wear,

n the erosion of a tooth by chemical or mechanical processes.

tooth, zero degree,

n.pl prosthetic teeth having no cusp angles in relation to the horizontal plane; cuspless teeth.