|
You're sitting in the dental chair with your mouth open so your dental hygienist can get a good look at your teeth.
"Looks like we need some bitewings," said the hygienist. "The records indicate that the
prosthodontist forwarded us diagnostics two years ago when she copied us on the
treatment plan.
The hygienist continued, "It's also time for new radiographs. I'll do them right after the
prophylaxis. Then the doctor and I will do the periodontal
charting."
By this time, you are suffering from xerostomia, but you don't even know it. Yikes! What's going on?
Your dentist and dental hygienist are the best source of answers to dental-related questions. But, if you forget to ask, Delta Dental's online Glossary is a good place to find definitions of words you may have overhead while sitting in the chair.
According to the Glossary:
A bitewing is a dental x-ray showing approximately the coronal (crown) halves of the upper and lower jaw.
A prosthodontist is a dentist who generally specializes in ways to replace missing natural teeth with bridges and dentures.
Diagnostics are materials such as x-rays, charting and photos which assist the dentist in determining the patient's oral health condition and the treatment options available.
A treatment plan is a written report prepared by a dentist showing the dentist's recommended treatment of any dental disease, defect, or injury.
A radiograph is the photographic representation of opaque objects produced by the action of ionizing radiation upon sensitized plate or film. In other words, it is an x-ray.
Prophylaxis is the cleaning of the teeth by a dentist or dental hygienist.
Periodontal charting is charting prepared to record periodontal pocket depth, height of gingival margin, tooth mobility, missing teeth, malpositioned teeth, condition of gingiva, classified levels of furcation defects by tooth, amount of soft tissue recession in mm, width of keratinized gingivae in mm, or other remarkable periodontal conditions.
Xerostomia is dryness of the mouth from lack of a normal amount of saliva.
Our online Glossary contains more than 100 definitions related to oral health and dental benefits. To access the Glossary, visit our Web site at www.deltadentalnj.com, and click "Glossary" on the navigation bar on the left side of the screen.
|
