dental caps
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den·tal caps
deciduous cheek teeth in the horse that remain attached to erupting permanent teeth.
dental
pertaining to the teeth.
dental abscess
see alveolar abscess, malar abscess.
dental aging
telling the age of an animal by its teeth. Significant especially in horses, cattle and sheep. See also age determination.
dental arcade
the complete array of teeth in the form of an arch. There is an upper and a lower arcade, except in ruminants where the incisor sector of the upper arcade is absent.
dental attrition
occlusal wear of a tooth, as a result of tooth to tooth contact as in mastication; physiological rather than pathological.
dental bud
the dental laminae, focal thickenings of the oral mucosae of the developing embryo, invaginate to form dental buds, the early stage of the enamel organ of the embryonic teeth.
dental caps
a condensation of the oral epithelium of the embryo's dental lamina establishes the cap stage of the developing tooth.
dental chisel
see dental hoe (below).
dental claw
an instrument used often for scaling teeth in dogs and cats. It has a thick, sickle-shaped end.
dental cyst
may be odontogenic, containing cell rests of dental tissue, or dentigerous, in which all or part of a tooth is in the cyst. Causes a local swelling of the jaw which may be visible externally. Called also dentigerous cyst.
dental discoloration
occurs as a result of medication with tetracyclines when the teeth are still in the development stage, in cases of porphyrinuria, and in small discrete lesions in association with fluorosis, again when the poisoning occurred in the pre-eruption stage. Congenital absence of dentine and enamel, as occurs in calves, causes the teeth to look pink because of their vascularity.
dental fistula
caused by the spread of alveolar periostitis or abscess. The fistula discharges from the tooth root to the side of the face below the eye, the maxillary sinus or the nasal cavity. Called also malar abscess, gum boil.
dental fluorosis
see fluorosis.
dental formula
an alphanumeric system for listing the number, type (I = incisor, C = canine, P = premolar, M = molar), and position (upper or lower) of teeth: ox and sheep 2($$\hbox{I}^0_4\ \hbox{C}_0^0\ \hbox{P}_3_^3\ \hbox{M}^3_3)= 32; horse 2(\hbox{I}_3^3\ \hbox{C}_1^1\ \hbox{P}_3^4\ \hbox{M}_3^3)=42; pig 2(\hbox{I}_3^3\ \hbox{C}_1^1 \hbox{P}_4^4\ \hbox{M}_3^3)=44; dog 2(\hbox{I}_3^3\ \hbox{C}_1^1\ \hbox{P}_4^4\ \hbox{M}_3^2)=42; cat 2(\hbox{I}_3^3\ \hbox{C}_1^1\ \hbox{P}_2^3\ \hbox{M}_1^1)=30$$.
dental fracture/fissure
usually the result of traumatic injury. Causes great discomfort, unwillingness to close the jaw or chew; often the mouth sags open and saliva is allowed to drool.
dental hoe
an instrument commonly used in veterinary dentistry. It has a broad end with a beveled edge. Called also dental chisel.
dental impaction
failure of teeth to erupt out of the alveolar bone or through the gum.
dental interlock
the deciduous upper canine teeth erupt rostral to the lower canine teeth, thereby locking the mandible from further forward growth.
dental irregular wear
see wave mouth.
dental lamina
in the embryonic oral mucosa dental lamina form as local thickenings of the epithelium; they invaginate to form dental buds, later the enamel organ. See also dental bud.
dental luxation
includes loosening of teeth through to complete avulsion.
dental malocclusion
see malocclusion.
dental mirror
a small round mirror set at an angle on one end of a handle, used in dental examinations to reflect images from intraoral surfaces.
dental numbering systems
dental occlusion
see occlusion (2).
dental pad
the thick layer of connective tissue that replaces the upper incisor teeth in the ruminant; a rostral projection of the hard palate.
dental papillary mesenchyme
the tissue which converts the dental cap stage of the growing tooth to the bell stage by covering it with enamel.
dental pellicle
a thin, acellular membrane of salivary proteins adsorbed to the enamel or cementum.
dental plaque
a dense mass of bacteria in an intercellular matrix, adhering to the surface of the tooth. It is important in that it initiates caries and periodontitis. A precursor of calculus. See also bacterial plaque.
dental pulp
the sensitive content of the cavity of the tooth carrying its nerve and blood supply.
dental records
contain the history of dental treatment given, generally recorded on diagrams or charts of the mouth, showing position of individual teeth, gingiva and occlusion.
dental resorption
may occur if the tooth pulp is traumatized, by osteoclastic action inside the tooth or outside, in the alveolar bone.
dental sac
the remains of the dental follicle at the apex of immature teeth.
dental star
the mark on the occlusal surface of a tooth, especially horse incisors, which is caused by the appearance of secondary dentine, contributed by the pulp cavity, as the tooth wears.
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Dental star. By permission from Sack W, WensingCJG, Dyce KM, Textbook of Veterinary Anatomy,Saunders, 2002
dental tartar
see dental calculus (above).