Glossary
Dentist Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential dentist terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key dentist vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in dentist training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Bitewing
- An X-ray of back teeth.
- Bridge
- Replacement teeth anchored to neighbors.
- Caries
- Tooth decay.
- Crown
- A cap over a tooth.
- DDS/DMD
- Dental doctoral degrees.
- Endodontics
- Root canal specialty.
- Implant
- An artificial tooth root.
- Local anesthetic
- Numbing medication.
- Occlusion
- How teeth meet.
- Periodontal disease
- Gum disease.
- Prophylaxis
- Professional cleaning.
- Restoration
- A filling or crown.
- Root canal
- Treating infected tooth pulp.
- Sealant
- Protective coating on teeth.
- Treatment plan
- Recommended care.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Dentist practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Dentist training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.