Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

The area on the proximal surface of a tooth that touches an adjacent tooth. According to Levinger, a stage of a relationship in which people seek common ground and test mutual attraction. The side of a tooth that faces the neighboring tooth.  

Scanners that probe the subject through physical touch, while the object is in contact with or resting on a precision flat surface plate, ground and polished to a specific maximum surface roughness. Where the object to be scanned is not flat or cannot rest stably on a flat surface, it is supported and held firmly…

The formation of new bone directly on a dental implant, following the migration of osteogenic progenitor cells through the fibrin clot matrix to the implant surface.  

The joint deliberation, usually for explanatory or diagnostic purposes, between a patient and practitioner, or two or more practitioners. The process of a third party assisting a person, group, or organization to use internal and external resources to make decisions and affect change. In medical or dental practice, the act of requesting advice from another…

Final phase of distraction osteogenesis. Once the alveolar segment has been repositioned, the device is maintained in a static mode to act as a fixation device for a given amount of time.  

General agreement or concord. In group dynamics, an agreement on a decision by all persons involved in making the decision.  

A method to determine the 3D geometry of real‐world objects. In this method, the light/laser reflected from the object is split into separate beams using a crystal that possesses different refractive indices. After the two beams exit the crystal, an interference pattern that depends on the distance from the light’s source is generated. This interference…

In fixed dental prosthodontics, the portion of a fixed dental prosthesis that unites the retainer(s) and pontic(s). An electrical device designed to establish a connection between two points, such as a plug and receptacle that interlock and create a mating connection.  

Soft tissue augmentation procedure adopted from periodontal surgery using connective tissue harvested from a palatal donor site. An autogenous graft of connective tissue completely or partially detached from its original site and placed in a prepared recipient bed. Indicated for root coverage or ridge augmentation procedures around natural dentition, pontics and implants.  

The mechanism of attachment of the connective tissue to a tooth or dental implant. Around the latter, the connective tissue fibers are generally parallel and circumferential to the implant surface and constitute the apical part of the biologic width.