Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A broad class of materials made from a variety of nonmetallic compounds with a metallic component, which are fired at high temperatures to achieve their physical characteristics of high hardness, brittleness, low thermal and electrical conductivity, and high corrosion resistance. They are generally oxides but can also be composed of calcium phosphates, alumina, zirconia, nitrides,…

A fine‐grained glass‐ceramic material that is derived from applying heat to a specific form of glass.  

A device used to precisely and predictably position the head so as to create spatially oriented and reproducible radiographs or photographs. A device that holds a patient’s head in a fixed position. It may be used, e.g., in anesthesiology, to facilitate tracheal intubation; in dental radiography, to improve the quality of radiographs; and in ear,…

Broad‐spectrum beta‐lactam antibiotics chemically related to and having the same mechanism of action as the penicillins, disrupting the synthesis of the peptidoglycan layer of bacterial cell walls. Any of a group of broad-spectrum antibiotics derived from the fungus Cephalosporium. A drug used in the treatment of bacterial infection. Antibiotics developed from a Cephalosporium species found…

The science of measuring the dimensions of the head. In dentistry, it is the determination of the permutations of angles, lines, and planes derived from tracings of landmarks on frontal and lateral radiographic head films. The measurements are used to assess growth, development, and treatment responses of the craniofacial bones as it relates to diagnosis,…

A line diagram that is a copy of the structural landmarks of the orthodontically relevant craniofacial markers and facial bones. It is made by drawing on a thin paper sheet placed on a cephalometric radiograph through which light is projected.  

A standardized radiograph of the head used for making cranial measurements.  

Occlusal contacts of opposing teeth that maintain the occlusal vertical dimension between the maxillary and mandibular arches.  

The physical movement of the mandible as it transits from centric occlusion to maximum intercuspation.