Dental Terms

Each tooth has elastic fibers that hold the tooth in the jaw. When orthodontic treatment rotates a tooth, these fibers tend to return the tooth to its original orientation when treatment is completed. To prevent this from happening, your dentist can detach the elastic fibers between the gums and the affected tooth. Healthy fibers will reattach themselves to the tooth in its new position. This stops these fibers from applying rotational forces.

What to expect

Your dentist can perform a fiberotomy in just a few minutes.

Your dentist will:

• Administer local anesthesia around the affected tooth or teeth.
• Surgically detach the elastic fibers between the gums and the affected tooth far enough down the root to prevent it from rotating back to its original position. Typically the incision does not extend below the level of the crest of the bony tooth socket, meaning it is only severing the gingival attachment fibers.

There may be minimal discomfort after the procedure. Typically, any discomfort can be managed with mild pain relievers. Healthy people rarely experience complications, such as infections.

There is a chance that orthodontically moved teeth may rotate back a small amount. To prevent this, you should be sure to use orthodontic retainers as directed.

If your tooth is damaged by tooth decay, a filling is normally recommended to restore your tooth to its normal shape, function, and appearance. Fillings are also used to fix chipped teeth or partially broken teeth.

Along with brushing, flossing is one of the essential parts of your daily oral health routine. Flossing allows you to remove plaque from between your teeth and slightly underneath the gums, which are areas not as accessible by toothbrushes.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring element that helps strengthen tooth enamel and make it more resistant to acid exposure. Exposure to acid is a major factor in tooth decay, an infectious disease afflicting most people around the world. Continual and proper use of fluoride has been shown to provide significant benefits to the prevention of tooth decay by aiding in remineralization and preventing demineralization.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring element that helps strengthen tooth enamel and make it more resistant to acid exposure. Exposure to acid is a major factor in tooth decay, an infectious disease afflicting most people around the world. Continual and proper use of fluoride has been shown to provide significant benefits to the prevention of tooth decay by aiding in remineralization and preventing demineralization.

If you are not getting enough fluoride, your dentist can treat your teeth with fluoride varnish, gels, or foam.

A free soft tissue graft is a surgical procedure to treat an area of receded gums and, when possible, cover an exposed tooth root. A dentist may also perform this procedure to add gum tissue around a dental implant. A free soft tissue graft accesses both soft connective tissue and toughened surface layers of the gum.

What to expect

• Based on their training, experience, and the scope of their practice, general dentists may refer you to a periodontist for this procedure.
• Before the procedure your dentist will review your dental and medical history. If your dentist has concerns, they may need to consult with your physician. Based on their conclusions, your dentist may prescribe antibiotics that you will need to take prior to the procedure.
• Your dentist will numb the areas to be treated with local anesthetic. They will take into account any specific health conditions you may have.
• Your dentist will prepare the location where the graft is needed (recipient site), tuck the connective tissue into it, and hold it in place with sutures.
• Your dentist will remove tissue from the roof of your mouth (donor site) in the shape of the area that needs to be covered. The roof of your mouth may take longer to heal than the site where the graft is placed. This is because the surface area removed from the donor site is larger than that of the recipient site. Often the dentist will provide a thin plastic shell or other device to be worn over the tender area where the grafted tissue was removed.
• The dentist may adjust the way your teeth bite together to eliminate tipping forces or reduce the amount of force on the affected tooth or teeth.
• Following the procedure, your dentist will give you instructions for post-treatment home care. They will take into account your unique medical or dental conditions. Because both donor and recipient sites are often tender following the procedure, it may be necessary to take pain relievers and/or anti-inflammatory medications for a few days. Your dentist may also recommend an antiseptic rinse or other medication for a few days after the procedure. It is essential to follow the instructions to significantly increase your chances of a successful outcome. You should request a copy of the instructions so you can refer to them later.

A frenum (or frenulum) is a small band of connective tissue located at a few positions in the mouth. The frenum originates in the gums and connects to the lip (labial frenum) or cheek (buccal frenum). A frenectomy is a minor surgical procedure to release the frenum's attachment to remove gum tissue. This procedure may be required for a variety of reasons.

When a frenum is located too close to a tooth, the surrounding muscles can contract and apply tension to the frenum. This can contribute to receding gums. When the frenum's origin is between two teeth, it can prevent those teeth from moving into their proper positions while developing. This can complicate orthodontic treatment or when creating a denture. A frenectomy may be recommended before or after treatment begins.

Typically the required incision is small and requires only a local anesthetic. Complications and infections are rare in healthy patients. Discuss your health history and current health status with your dentist before beginning the procedure.

A full mouth series of X-ray images is a set of approximately twelve to twenty individual bitewing and periapical X-ray images. Full mouth X-rays are taken so that the teeth and bone surrounding the tooth roots are visible in their entirety from various angles. This allows your dentist to evaluate the spaces between your teeth for decay, and to check for bone loss and signs of infection or disease that may be in the bone surrounding the tooth roots.

The number of images taken depends on how many teeth you have. Because there are more images taken, a full mouth X-ray series exposes you to slightly more radiation than other types of images. This is why dentists should limit the use of full mouth X-rays. They should be ordered only when your dentist needs the diagnostic information provided by these X-rays to assess your oral health status.

The American Dental Association (ADA) has set the following general guidelines for their use:

• Children under 12: Full mouth X-rays are only recommended for young children if they are needed to identify the position of developing or impacted teeth throughout the entire mouth. They may also be recommended for the assessment and diagnosis of cysts, tumors, or other abnormalities the dentist has observed.
• Adolescents and adults: A full mouth X-ray examination is only preferred when the patient has clinical evidence of generalized oral disease or a history of extensive dental treatment. A panoramic radiograph, supplemented by two to four bitewing radiographs, may provide greater diagnostic information for less cumulative X-ray exposure.
• If you are missing all of your teeth: There is little evidence that periodic X-ray images are needed if you are missing all of your teeth. A full mouth series of X-ray images may be recommended if you have remaining teeth and are planning dental implants. These can help identify any anomalies or other issues that may affect the complexity of the treatment.