sharps container: any needles, scalpel blades, orthodontic wires, endodontic files, anesthesia cartridges or any
other potentially sharp disposables have to go in the sharps container
biohazard: anything bloody or saliva-soaked has to go in the biohazard box which will be picked up and
disposed of by a regulated waste management company.
the frontal plane divides anterior and posterior segments of the body (front and back); this is also known as
the coronal plane
the midsagittal plane divides left and right also known as midline
the horizontal plane divides upper and lower also known as transverse
the mandible is the lower jaw that holds teeth; this is also known as the mandibular arch
the maxilla is the upper jaw that holds teeth; this is also known as the maxillary arch
the temporomandibular joint (tmj): the joint on each side of the head that allows movement of the mandible
the mental foramen is one of two holes located on the front surface of the mandible between the 1st and 2nd
premolars
the mental foramen permits passage of the mental nerve and blood vessels
the ramus is the part of the mandible that turns towards the skull vertically to allow rotation of the
temporomandibular joint in a vertical direction
the condyles are the round prominence at the end of the temporomandibular joint that allow the mandible to
open and close
the nasal spine- more specifically, the anterior nasal spine, or anterior nasal spine of maxilla, is a bony
projection of the skull that serves as the anterior cephalometric landmark
nasal spine is the projection formed by the fusion of the two maxillary bones at the intermaxillary suture
the labial frenum is a band of tissue inside the mouth that is attached at the center of the lips on both the
maxillary and mandibular arches
the lingual frenum the thin fold of skin that extends from the floor of the mouth to the bottom of the tongue
submandibular gland is gland under the tongue that secretes saliva
the hard palate is a thin horizontal bony plate made up of two bones of the facial skeleton, located in the roof
of the mouth
the soft palate is the skin posterior to the hard palate that moves freely
tonsils are a mass of lymphatic tissue, usually round or oval in shape, located on each side of the throat
the uvula is a pear-shaped projection at the end of the soft palate
the buccal vestibule is the area between the cheek and teeth
crown: functional part of the tooth that is visible above the gums
neck: the portion of the tooth that rests in between the crown and the root of the tooth
root: part of the tooth under the gums that extends into the bone and holds the tooth in place
bone: hard tissue that the teeth reside in
periodontal ligament: a group of hair-like ligaments between the bone and the root that serves as a shock
absorber for the tooth
cementum: outer layer covering of the anatomic root of a tooth
apex: the tapered end of each root tip where the nerve exits the tooth
pulp chamber/cavity: the space occupied by pulp
dentin: the hard portion of the root that surrounds the pulp and is covered by enamel on the crown and by
cementum on the root
enamel: outer layer covering the crown of the tooth, hardest material in the body
labial: the outer surface for anterior teeth facing the lips
buccal: the outer surface for posterior teeth facing the cheek
facial: this term can replace the term labial or buccal and can be used to describe the anterior or posterior
lingual: the surface of the tooth closest to the tongue. mesial: the surface of the tooth that is closest to the
midline
distal: the surface of the tooth that is furthest away from the midline
occlusal: the surface of the tooth that is used for chewing, posterior teeth
incisal: the surface of the tooth that is used for cutting, anterior teeth
disinfection: process using chemicals to reduce or lower the number of germs and microorganisms
sterilization: process that kills all microorganisms; this process uses machines such as the autoclave, statim,
and, chemical sterilant
the unwrapped sterilization cycle does not take as long because the heat does not have to penetrate a pouch
or paper to reach the instruments
metal impression trays, syringes, rinn instruments are normally placed through the unwrapped sterilization
cycle
pouches are used to store instruments in pouches sterilization cycle. this ensures instruments are not
contaminated by dust, airborne pathogens or cross contamination prior to use
color indicator in pouches sterilization cycle is located on the bottom of the pouch; it changes colors once the
pouch has completed a full cycle in the autoclave
packs/cassettes sterilization cycle takes the longest because the steam/heat has to penetrate the paper and go
through the metal slots of the cassette for proper sterilization
handpieces cycle is unique to handpieces- slow/fast. they can be put into pouches or unwrapped for this cycle
autoclave: machine used for sterilization by the means of moist heat, and under pressure that rapidly kills all
microorganisms
instruments that can stand high heat sterilization should be placed into an autoclave (mostly metal
instruments)
an autoclave uses distilled water to heat and sterilize instruments and then it dries them
autoclaves require weekly maintenance/cleanings and spore testing
a statim autoclave is a smaller and faster version of a conventional autoclave
while a statim is quicker than a conventional autoclave, it still sterilizes instruments just as thoroughly
general waste: non-regulated, non-hazardous waste that can be discarded in a regular plastic lined garbage
container
contaminated waste: materials that have come in contact with blood or body fluids
most states consider waste that has come in contact with blood or bodily fluid to be general waste; some
states consider them to the infectious waster
hazardous waste are toxic chemicals or materials that could pose a risk to humans or the environment; they
should be disposed of in regulated waste
infectious waste are contaminated waste that could potentially transmit an infectious disease; they are always
be disposed of in regulated waste
x-rays are high energy electromagnetic wave that can pass through solid matter
dental x-rays are pictures of teeth, bone, and soft tissue used to determine if there are problems with an
individual's teeth, mouth, and jaw
conventional x-rays are film packs are used to capture dental images
conventional x-rays must be developed film in a dark room or daylight loader
conventional x-ray packs consist of a flexible film that is surrounded by a black paper film wrapper, foil, and
pouch
conventional x-ray packs protect films from moisture and light prior to being developed
full mouth series are used for the best overall look at the mouth; it consists of 18 x-rays- 14 pa and 4 bwx
full mouth series are taken for the purpose of evaluating periodontal health and radiolucencies from either
decay or infection
bitewings are also known as cavity-detecting x-rays; they are used to diagnose interproximal cavities (between
the teeth)
when a set of 4 bitewings is taken, 2 must be taken on each side.
one bitewings must be in the center of the molars; the other bitewings must include the distal of the canine
bitewings can be taken horizontally or vertically for patients with gum disease (periodontal).
periapical x-rays are taken to see the tooth from the crown to the apex; these x-ravs are taken on both anterior
and posterior teeth
panorex (pan) x-ray is used for a general overview of the mouth; it gives the best view of the wisdom teeth
panorex (pan) x-ray is used to scan for oral cancer
cephalometric (ceph) x-rays are mainly used at orthodontic offices so they can improve the patient's profile
cephalometric (ceph) x-rays are identifies the jaw relationship and growth patterns
panorex x-ray machine: is not conducted to give a detailed view of each tooth, but rather to provide a
better view of the sinus areas, nasal areas and mandibular nerve
cone beam computed tomography x-rays (cbct) are 3-d x-rays used for tmj dysfunction, oral surgery,
orthodontics, endodontics and implant placement
3-d cone beam images provide more complete, accurate, and visual images to study a case
the two different x-ray techniques are the parallelling technique and bisecting technique
a major disadvantage of the bisecting technique is that the x-ray image is not dimensionally accurate
impression: is a mold of a person's maxillary or mandibular arch; they are commonly prepped using alginate
the last step of prepping impression is pouring up the impression using stone or plaster
denture/partial impressions must be prepped using very thick (3-4 scoops alginate). add an exaggerated roll
expressing the buccal vestibule.
bleach tray impressions are prepped using 2 scoops alginate; these are very basic impression- not too thick but
enough to get the full shape of the teeth and the gums
night guard or dental splint impression are prepped using 3 scoops alginate; these impressions should not be
too thick or thin but enough to get full coverage of all the teeth
temporary crowns are prepped with 1 scoop alginate prior to prepping the tooth
final impressions have to be extremely accurate; the dentist uses light- and heavy-body impressions or
according to the procedure. the dentist must take the final impression.
dental assistants obtain an opposing arch impression and a bite registration (taken with impregum or bite
registration material)
fluorosis - white spots on the teeth from too much fluoride; the spots may get brighter when whitened
tetracycline stains will need special bleach to notice a change
decalcification (white spots) it is generally considered the early stage of tooth decay
filling: when a patient has a small cavity, the dentist can clean out the decay and fill the tooth with amalgam
(silver) or composite (tooth colored)
crown: if a tooth is fractured or has a large cavity, then it might need a crown. a crown may be porcelain,
porcelain fused to metal, or all metal covering the entire tooth
root canal: when a fracture or decay enters the pulp of a tooth, the doctor will have to remove the nerve and
fill the canal with gutta percha
extraction: if a tooth has too much decay or a fracture through the furcation (where the roots of teeth fork or
separate) and is not able to be saved, the doctor will have to remove the tooth.
once a tooth is removed, it can be replaced with: implant, bridge, partial denture, or denture.
blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps it throughout
the body
systolic pressure: the first (higher) number, representing the pressure when the heart beats and pumps blood.
diastolic pressure: the second (lower) number, indicating the pressure when the heart is at rest between beats
hypertension: elevated readings (e.g., 140/90 mmhg or higher), requiring caution or medical referral
hypotension: low readings (e.g., below 90/60 mmhg), which may cause dizziness or fainting, especially during
treatment
a fulcrum is when a clinician places a finger in or around the patient's mouth to steady their
hand. this finger is not holding the working instrument.
a fulcrum should be used while holding any instrument inside a patient's mouth.
the operator's zone is the area where the dentist works
the doctor is normally about 4-6 inches lower than the assistant
doctor's zone for a right-handed doctor: 7:00 to 12:00
doctor's zone for a left-handed doctor: 12:00 to 5:00
the assistant's zone is the area where the assistant can properly see into the patient's mouth and pass objects
to the doctor
the assistant must sit 4-6 inches higher than the doctor; the assistants left leg should almost touch the left arm
of the patient
assistant's zone for a right-handed doctor: 2:00 to 4:00
assistant's zone for a left-handed doctor: 8:00 to 10:00
the transfer zone is the area where the assistant can properly and safely can pass objects back and forth to the
doctor without dropping anything on the patient
transfer zone for a right-handed doctor: 4:00 to 7:00
transfer zone for a left-handed doctor: 5:00 to 8:00
some doctors want the assistant to transfer anesthetic in this zone- static zone
static zone for a right-handed doctor: 12:00 to 2:00
static zone for a left-handed doctor: 10:00 to 12:00
the primary purpose of topical anesthetic in dentistry is to reduce the discomfort associated with dental
injections
liners and bases are used under amalgam, composite and buildups when the decay is deep and close to the
pulp/nerve
liners are a thin layer of material placed in the deepest part of the dental preparation to provide pulpal
protection
calcium hydroxide (dycal) is the most commonly used liner to provide pupal protection; this is due to its unique
characteristics and its compatibility with most restorative materials
bases are additional layer of material used for pulpal protection during restorative procedures