Category: D

Extended a psychotherapy, counseling, and education in a nonresidential setting. Day treatment programs are used for a wide variety of emotional, psychological, and neurological problems, such as alcohol and substance abuse, anxiety disorders, and stroke. Day treatment may also be recommended for people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson disease,…

The raised, rounded points on the surface of the upper and lower back teeth. Cusps serve to tear and chew food. The teeth that have dental cusps include the following: the cuspids (the pointed teeth next to the incisors, called canines or eye teeth); the bicuspids (the teeth located between the canines and molars, called…

The deep scaling on the surface of the root of the tooth below the gum line to remove calculus and diseased gum tissue. Dental curettage is sometimes called root planing; it may also be used to remove bacteria and diseased tissue from the socket of the tooth after a tooth extraction. Dental curettage is generally…

A natural stage in which calcium crystals build up on the outer layer of the developing teeth. This layer calcifies into hardened tissue that covers the crowns, or top of the tooth, forming a hard covering called enamel. Dental calcification is a normal stage of development in the tooth bud, which begins in the human…

The medical term for involuntary clenching or grinding of the teeth, especially at night during sleep. Over time, dental bruxism can cause sensitivity and may also force the jaw to move out of proper balance. Bruxism may be due to nervous tension, emotional stress, malocclusion (improper bite), and possibly sleep disorders. Some antidepressants and antipsychotic…

A process in which a tooth-colored resin material is attached to a tooth to repair it, improve its color, or reshape it. Dental bonding, also called dental composite bonding, has many uses: it can treat cavities or replace older, more obvious silver amalgam fillings, repair exposed roots, or close the spaces between teeth. Dental procedures…

Infections that may be transmitted from animals to humans under natural conditions. Diseases from animals are also referred to by the medical term zoonosis, or zoonotic disease.  

The application or injection of medication to eliminate pain during dental treatment or surgery. Topical anesthesia is used by dentists to numb tissues in an area of the mouth in preparation for injecting a local anesthetic. A local anesthetic is injected to stop pain in a specific area of the mouth for a short period,…

Silver-colored filling material used by dentists to fill a tooth that has been treated for the removal of tooth decay. Dental amalgam is a mixture of mercury and an alloy of silver, tin, and copper. It is considered to be one of the safest, most durable, and least expensive materials used to fill a dental…

A quantity used in radiation safety work that equates on a unified scale the amount of radiation dose and the physical damages that it might produce. It is the product of the dose (in rads or GRAYS) and modifying factors that are specific to the type and energy of the radiation delivering that dose. The…