Medicine Word Today

Tooth numbering: The accordance of a unique number to each tooth. The Universal/National System for permanent (adult) dentition (1-32) includes: (1) is the patient's upper right molar and follows around the upper arch to the upper left third molar (16)...

Syndrome, cracked tooth: A toothache caused by a broken tooth (tooth fracture) without associated cavity or advanced gum disease. Biting on the area of tooth fracture can cause severe sharp pains. These fractures are usually due to chewing or biting...

Tooth: The structures within the mouth that allow for biting and chewing. Teeth have different shapes, depending on their purpose. The sharp canine and frontal teeth allow for biting, while the flattened, thick molars in the back of the mouth ...

Phantom tooth: Persistent pain in the area from which a tooth has been extracted. Phantom tooth pain may last for months and can spread beyond the extraction site to other areas of the mouth.

Tooth root sensitivities: Oversensitivity of exposed roots of teeth to cold, hot, and sour foods because those roots are no longer protected by healthy gum and bone. Chronic gum disease contributes to toothache due to root sensitivities. The roots a...

Tooth root: The lower two-thirds of a tooth. The roots are normally buried in bone, and serve to anchor the tooth in position. They are covered with a thin layer of bone, and insert into sockets in the bone of the jaw.

Tooth and nail syndrome: A genetic disorder characterized by the absence of several teeth at birth and abnormalities of the nails. The disorder is also known as hypodontia and nail dysgenesis or Witkop syndrome (TNS). It was first described by Dr. Carl...

Tooth erosion: Tooth erosion is a gradual loss of the normally hard surface of the tooth due to chemical, not bacterial, processes. Erosion is an eating away of a surface. The word "erosion" comes from the Latin "erodere" meaning to eat out.

Syndrome, tooth and nail: A genetic disorder characterized by the absence of several teeth at birth and abnormalities of the nails. The disorder is also known as hypodontia and nail dysgenesis or Witkop syndrome (TNS). It was first described by Dr. Car...

Wisdom tooth: See: Tooth, wisdom.

Cracked tooth syndrome: A toothache caused by a broken tooth (tooth fracture) without associated cavity or advanced gum disease. Biting on the area of tooth fracture can cause severe sharp pains. These fractures are usually due to chewing or biting ...