Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

In fixed prosthodontics, the metal substrate on which porcelain is applied in fabrication of a metal‐ceramic restoration. Also used to describe the initial thin layer of wax on a die or a thin covering or crown. The ability to deal adequately with an environmental situation or with oneself. Adjustment of one’s activities to overcome stress…

The upper half of any flask used in casting; the upper or cavity side of a denture flask used in conjunction with the drag or lower half of the flask. To dress, cover, or furnish with a cope; to cover, as if with a cope or coping. To overcome problems. To deal effectively with and…

Smooth, controlled, symmetrical movement. Muscular or motor regulation or the harmonious cooperation of muscles or groups of muscles, in a complex action or series of actions. The integration of many separate motor skills or movements into one efficient movement pattern. Ability to do a task integrating movements of the body and different parts of the…

A fluid used as an irrigating solution to reduce heat generated during drilling. That which reduces body temperature. An agent that produces cooling.  

The taper of a crown preparation. The angle, measured in degrees, formed between opposing axial walls when a tooth or teeth are prepared for crowns or fixed dental prostheses. Usage: this term is best described as the total occlusal convergence. The angle be tween the visual axis and the median line when an object is…

Film tomography. Outdated in medicine, this imaging technique is of great interest in implant dentistry because it can be applied in private practice. The X‐ray tube is rigidly fixed with a bar to the image receptor to move around a fixed axis. When a patient is properly positioned, objects located in this axis are projected…

A group of subjects which receives a placebo instead of the experimental treatment but is treated in all other respects in the same way as the experimental group. The group of people in an experimental study whose conditions remain constant; who are not exposed to the stimulus being studied. A group of people who are…

The ability to distinguish between differences in intensity in an image. The measure is used in medical imaging to quantify the quality of acquired images. It is a difficult quantity to define, because it depends on the human observer as much as the quality of the actual image.  

The visible differences in photographic or film density produced on a radiograph by the structural composition of the object or objects radiographed. Radiographs made with higher kilovoltage (e.g., 90 kV) have a longer scale contrast and appear dull by comparison with those made at lower voltages, but they have improved image character for interpretation.  

Relating to or pertaining to or occurring on the opposite side. The working of the opposite side in concert with similar parts on the primary side of interest; the opposite of ipsilateral. Located on or affecting the opposite side of the body. Located on the opposite side. The left arm is contralateral to the right…