Category: M

A removable dental appliance made of resilient or hard materials used to protect the teeth and surrounding tissues from injury. A flexible, removable, plastic device worn to protect the teeth, mouth, and head during sports and recreational activities. Mouth guards help to prevent the lower jaw from being forced into the upper jaw, which can…

The process of breathing primarily through the oral cavity rather than the nasal passages. May be associated with gingival enlargement and inflammation. Breathing with an open mouth instead of through the nose can occur due to blockages in the nasal passages from thick mucus (like during a severe cold or sinusitis) or from enlarged tonsils…

Removable flat, round components made of metal or resin that facilitate the attachment of dental casts to the upper and lower members of an articulator.  

When maxillary and mandibular dental casts are attached to an instrument (articulator) that maintains the occluded relationship of dental casts to each other, yet the casts may be separated as the instrument facilitates the opening and return of the casts to the intended occluded relationship. The arrangement of specimens on slides, frames, chart boards, display…

Tracing the spatial position of moving objects relative to a reference coordinate system.  

Tool evaluating the relative mobility of a dental implant in relation to its surrounding bone.  

A feature that appears in an image but which was not present in the original, caused by movement of the patient, usually appearing as shading or streaking in a reconstructed image. Blurring of a radiographic image, produced by respiratory, muscular, or other movement of the patient.  

An internal connection interface consisting of a converging circular surface, which forms a mechanical locking friction‐fit. Also known as a cold weld and morse taper connection: taper of 3° (6° total convergence) or a reduction of 5/8 inch per linear foot of cylinder length. It describes one method of internal abutment connection, although the Straumann…

A digital technique to improve the performance and/or esthetics of a tooth among its neighbors. A simple version of adaptation is scaling, where the mere size of the tooth is altered (smaller or larger) to achieve better occlusion or improved arch length, or to close interproximal diastemata.  

Morphogenetic proteins guiding cellular morpho differentiation. A protein that influences the development, differentiation, growth, and patterning of embryonic tissues.