direct retainer

direct retainer,

a clasp, attachment, or assembly fastened to an abutment tooth for the purpose of maintaining a removable restoration in its planned position in relation to oral structures. See also precision rest.

---

direct (dīrekt´),

adj relating to any restorative procedure performed directly on a tooth without the use of a die (e.g., a wax pattern formed in the prepared cavity), silver amalgam, or one of the powdered, granular, or foil golds compacted into a prepared cavity.

direct access storage device,

n a device used for storage of direct access files. It could be a magnetic disk or diskette units.

direct billing,

n a process whereby the dental professional bills a patient directly for his or her fees.

direct gold,

n any of the forms of pure gold that may be compacted directly into a prepared cavity to form a restoration.

direct pulp capping,

n See capping, pulp, direct.

direct reimbursement,

n a self-funded program in which the individual is reimbursed based on a percentage of dollars spent for dental care provided, allowing the beneficiary to seek treatment from the dental professional of his or her choice.

direct retainer,

n See retainer, direct.

direct retention,

n See retention, direct.

direct supervision,

n a circumstance of treatment in which the dental professional must be present on the premises to diagnose, authorize, and approve all work performed on the patient by the members of the dental staff.

---

retainer,

n (retaining appliance), 1. The part of a dental prosthesis that unites the abutment tooth with the suspended portion of the bridge. It may be an inlay, partial crown, or complete crown.
n 2. an appliance for maintaining the positions of the teeth and jaws gained by orthodontic procedures.
n 3. the portion of a fixed prosthesis attaching a pontic(s) to the abutment teeth (e.g., inlay, three-quarter crown).
n 4. a form of clasp, attachment, or device used for the fixation or stabilization of a prosthetic appliance.
n 5. an orthodontic appliance, fixed or removable, used to maintain teeth in corrected positions during the period of functional adaptation following corrective treatment.

retainer, continuous bar,

n a metal bar that is attached to a major connector and contacts lingual surfaces of anterior teeth, on or incisal to the cingula; it aids in the stabilization of a distal extension removable partial denture.

retainer, direct,

n a clasp, attachment, or assembly applied to an abutment tooth for the purpose of maintaining a removable restoration in its planned position in relation to oral structures.

retainer, extracoronal,

n 1. a type of retainer in which the preparation and its cast restoration lie largely external to the body of the coronal portion of the tooth and complement the contour of the crown. The retention or resistance to displacement is developed between the inner surfaces of the casting and the external walls of the prepared tooth. The extracoronal retainer may be a partial crown or a complete crown.
n 2. a direct retainer of the clasp type that engages an abutment tooth on its external surface in such a way as to afford retention and stabilization to a removable partial denture; a direct retainer of the manufactured type, the male portion of which is attached to the external surface of a cast crown on an abutment tooth (e.g., Dalbo and Crismani attachments).

retainer, Hawley,

n.pr a wire and acrylic resin removable appliance designed to stabilize teeth after tooth movement; serves as a basis for tooth movement by providing an anchorage for the wires and rubber dam elastics used in orthodontic tooth movement.

retainer, indirect,

n that part of a removable partial denture that resists movement of a free end denture base away from its tissue support through lever action opposite the fulcrum line of the direct retention.

retainer, intracoronal,

n 1. a type of retainer in which the prepared cavity and its cast restoration lie largely within the body of the coronal portion of the tooth and within the contour of the crown (e.g., inlay). The retention or resistance to displacement is developed between the casting and the internal walls of the prepared cavity.
n 2. the type of direct retainer used in the construction of removable partial dentures; it consists of a female portion within the coronal portion of the crown of an abutment and a fitted male portion attached to the denture proper. These retainers may be fabricated in the dental office or obtained through commercial sources.

retainer, matrix,

n (matrix holder), a mechanical device designed to engage the ends of a matrix around the tooth.

retainer, radicular,

n a type of retainer that lies within the body of the tooth and is usually confined to the root portion of the tooth (e.g., dowel crown). The retention or resistance to displacement and shear is developed by extending an attached dowel into the root canal of the tooth.

retainer, resin-bonded,

n a prostheses fixed into an empty space created by a lost or congenitally missing tooth using bonding resin with intact or minimally restored abutment teeth in order to prevent abutment teeth from tilting or rotating.