Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

File format native to the stereolithography CAD software created by 3D Systems. This format is supported by many other software packages and is widely used for rapid prototyping and computer‐aided manufacturing. An STL file describes only the surface geometry of a 3D object without any representation of color, texture, or other common CAD model attributes.…

Measure of the dispersion of the possible differences between samples of two populations, usually the difference between the means of the samples. A measure of variation of a population of means. The extent to which the means of several different samples would vary if they were taken repeatedly from the same population. Differences between means…

Measure of the dispersion or variability of a set of values. Defined mathematically, it is the square root of the variance of these observations. By definition, approximately 68% of the values in the normal distribution (or bell‐shaped curve) fall within 1 SD on either side of the mean. If the SD exceeds one half the…

Machined titanium, cylindrical abutment used to support a screwretained prosthesis.  

Positioning of multiple implants (minimum of three) such that the implant bodies are not in a linear relationship; the purpose is to increase the mechanical stability of the resulting assembly.  

Following stage one surgery, the uncovering or reopening of an implant site at a later date by a small gingival excision or tissue punch to remove the healing screw and replace it with an abutment.  

First‐stage surgery. A surgical procedure that consists of placing an endosseous dental implant in bone and suturing the soft tissues over the implant, thereby submerging the implant for healing.  

A treatment sequence where one procedure is performed, followed by another at a later time.  

Vertically aligned and assembled combination of a prosthetic restoration, abutment, and implant. To place objects directly on top of others.  

To make firm, steadfast, stable. To hold steady, as to maintain the stability of any object by means of a stabilizer.