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Superglossary - Dentistry Category: Health and Medicine > Dentistry Date & country: 17/12/2013, USA Words: 405

Abscess
A localized inflammation due to a collection of pus in the bone or soft tissue, usually caused by an

Abutment
That portion of an implant above the neck utilized to provide support for a fixed, semi- fixed or re

Accreditation
Certification that an organization meets the reviewing organization's standards. Examples

Active Full-Time Employee
An employee must work for the employer on a regular basis in the usual course of the employer's busi

Adjudication
The administrative procedure used to process a claim for service according to the covered benefit.

Administrative Services Only (ASO)
An arrangement in which a licensed insurer provides administrative services to an employer's health

Allograft
Transplants from one individual to a genetically non-identical individual of the same species.

Alloplast
Graft of a relatively inert synthetic material. Generally metal, ceramic or polymeric material.

Allowable Charge
The maximum fee that a health plan will reimburse a provider for a given service.

Alloys
Strong and relatively ductile substances that provide electro-positive ions to a corrosive environme

Alternative Birthing Center
A facility offering a 'non-traditional' ('not like a hospital') setting for giving birth. While alte

Aluminum Oxide (Poly Crystal)
A fused AL203 biocompatible material.

Alveolar Mucosa
The mucous membrane covering the basal part of the alveolar process and continuing without demarcati

Alveoloplasty
A surgical procedure used to recontour the supporting bone structures in preparation of a complete o

Amalgam
A dental filling material, composed of mercury and other minerals, used to fill decayed teeth.

Ambulatory Care
A general term for care that doesn't involve admission to an inpatient hospital bed. Visits to a doc

American Dental Association (ADA)
A professional association of dentists dedicated to serving the public and profession of dentistry.

American Medical Association (AMA)
A professional association of physicians dedicated to promoting the art and science of medicine and

Ancillary Care
Diagnostic and/or supportive services such as radiology, physical therapy, pharmacy or laboratory wo

Anesthetic
A class of drugs that eliminates or reduces pain. See local anesthetic.

Anniversary Date
The day after a coverage period ends under a health benefits plan. Usually, the month and day that a

Annual Out-Of-Pocket Maximum
The most a plan member will pay per year for covered health expenses before the plan pays 100% of co

Anterior
Refers to the teeth and tissues located towards the front of the mouth (upper or lower incisors and

Any Occupation
Under this definition, an employee will be considered disabled only if s/he is unable to work in any

Apex
The tip or end of the root of the tooth.

Apicoectomy
The amputation of the apex of a tooth.

Appeals
A process available to the patient, their family member, treating provider or authorized representat

Asepsis
Prevention from contact with micro-organisms. The state of the surgical field desirable for implant

Assignment Of Benefits
When a covered person authorizes his or her health benefits plan to directly pay a health care provi

Attached Gingiva
The portion of the gingiva extending from the marginal gingiva to the alveolar mucosa. The attached

Attachment
A mechanical device for the fixation, retention and stabilization of a dental prosthesis.

Augmentation
The placement of autogenous or alloplastic materials to correct bony insufficiencies.

Autograft
A graft taken from one part of the patient's body and transplanted to another part.

Behavioral Care Services
Assessment and therapeutic services used in the treatment of mental health and substance abuse probl

Beneficiary
A person who is eligible to receive benefits under a health benefits plan. Sometimes 'beneficiary' i

Benefit Percentage
The benefit is usually determined as a percentage of the employee's pre-disability income up to an o

Benefit Year
The coverage period, usually 12 months long, which is used for administration of a health benefits p

Benefits
The portion of the costs of covered services paid by a health plan. For example, if a plan pays the

Benefits Package
A term informally used to refer to the employer's benefits plan or to the benefits plan options from

Bicuspid
A two-cusped tooth found between the molar and the cuspid also known as an eye tooth or canine tooth

Biopsy
A process of removing tissue to determine the existence of pathology.

Bitewing X-Rays
X-rays taken of the crowns of teeth to check for decay.

Bleaching
The technique of applying a chemical agent, usually hydrogen peroxide, to the teeth to whiten them.

Board-Certified
Any physician who has completed medical school, internship and residency in his or her chosen specia

Bonding
A process to chemically etch the tooth's enamel to better attach (bond) composite filling material,

Bone Curettage
Gentle removal of medullary bone, using hand instruments, to create an implant receptor site.

Bone Loss
The breakdown and loss of the bone that supports the teeth, usually caused by infection or long-term

Brand-Name Drug
A drug manufactured by a pharmaceutical company which has chosen to patent the drug's formula and re

Bridge
A nonremovable restoration that is used to replace missing teeth.

Brush Biopsy
Brush biopsy is a painless procedure used to gather cells in the mouth. The dentist uses a small bru

Bruxism
The involuntary clenching or grinding of the teeth.

Calculus
The hard deposit of mineralized plaque that forms on the crown and/or root of the tooth. Also referr

Canine Tooth
The second tooth from the big front tooth, commonly called the eye tooth or cuspid.

Cap
Another term for crown

Carbons
Vitreous (polycrystalline or glassy) or pyrolytic graphitic structures of relatively hard, inert, an

Care Management
A generic term which has been used in many different ways. Used by CIGNA, 'Care Management' refers t

Carelink
A program that offers members a comprehensive open access benefit plan with the protection they need

Caries
The correct technical term for decay which is the progressive breaking down or dissolving of tooth s

Carrier
A term historically used for licensed insurance companies, although now is sometimes used to include

Case Management
Coordination of services to help meet a patient's health care needs, usually when the patient has a

Cavity
A layman's term for tooth decay. Also, the dental term for the hole that is left after decay has bee

Cement
A special type of glue used to hold a crown in place. It also acts as an insulator to protect the to

Cementum
The very thin, bonelike structure that covers the root of the tooth.

Centers Of Excellence
A feature of the CIGNA HealthCare provider directory allowing you to compare quality and cost for ho

Ceramics
Compounds of a metal and oxygen formed of chemically and bio-chemically stable substances that are s

Charge Amount
The amount billed by a provider for services rendered to a participant.

Chemotherapy
Treatment of malignant disease by chemical or biological antinoeplastic agents.

Chrome Cobalt Molybdenum
A surgical metal alloy used to fabricate cast custom implants.

Claim
A claim is a request for payment under the terms of a health benefits plan.

Claim Status
Claims are Paid, Pended, Denied, or Received-Not-Yet-Processed.

Classification Of Metals
The noble metal classification system has been adopted as a more precise method of reporting various

Clenching
The forceful holding together of the upper and lower teeth, which places stress on the ligaments tha

Clinical Practice Guidelines
General procedures and suggestions about what constitutes an acceptable range of practices for parti

Cognitive Service
Diagnostic services a doctor provides during delivery of medical services, consultations or care.

Coinsurance
The portion of eligible expenses that plan members are responsible paying, most often after the dedu

Complex Rehabilitation
The extensive dental restoration involving 6 or more units of crown and/or bridge in the same treatm

Composite
A tooth-colored filling made of plastic resin or porcelain.

Connecting Bar
A fixed bar that connects two or more permucosal extensions. In the case of the ramus frame or subpe

Consultation
A discussion with another health care professional when additional feedback is needed during diagnos

Consumer-Driven Health Plan (CDHP)
A health care model in which the consumer (plan member) is made aware of the true costs and value of

Contract
A legal agreement between an individual subscriber or an employer group and a health plan that descr

Conversion Option
The option to purchase individual coverage by a person who will no longer have access to group healt

Coordination Of Benefits
A provision in a contract that applies when a person is covered under more than one group health ben

Copayment (Copay)
Amount that a plan member must pay the provider at the time of service, usually after the deductible

Corrosion
Biomaterials where the elemental constituents are lost to the adjacent environment due to corrosion

Cortical Bone
A peripheral layer of compact osseous tissue. The average thickness of the cortex of alveolar bone i

Cosmetic Dentistry
Any dental treatment or repair that is solely rendered to improve the appearance of the teeth or mou

Coverage
The benefits that are provided according to the terms of a participant's specific health benefits pl

Coverage End Date
Coverage End Date displays the date that coverage ends for a participant. This field is blank, if th

Covered Services
Hospital, medical, and other health care services incurred by the enrollee that are entitled to a pa

Credentialing
A process that reviews a health care provider's credentials against the credentials required to part

Crown
The portion of a tooth that is covered by enamel. Also a dental restoration that covers the entire t

Crown Lengthening
A surgical procedure exposing more tooth for restorative purposes.

Curettage
A deep scaling of that portion of the tooth below the gum line. Purpose is to remove calculus and in

Cusp(S)
The protruding portion(s) of a tooth's chewing surface.

Custodial Care
Care that is provided primarily to meet the personal needs of a patient. The care is not meant to be

Date Of Service
The date the service was provided to the participant as specified on the claim.

Day Treatment Center
An outpatient facility that is licensed to provide outpatient care and treatment, usually for mental

DDS
Doctor of Dental Surgery or DMD, Doctor of Dental Medicine. Degrees given to dental school graduates

Deductible
The dollar amount that a plan member must pay for eligible health expenses before a traditional heal