Glossary
Prosthodontist Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential prosthodontist terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key prosthodontist vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in prosthodontist training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Abutment
- Connector on an implant.
- Articulator
- Device simulating jaw movement.
- Bridge
- A replacement tooth anchored to neighbors.
- Complete denture
- Replacement for all teeth.
- Crown
- A cap restoring a tooth.
- Digital smile design
- Planning with software.
- Full-mouth rehabilitation
- Restoring all teeth.
- Implant-supported denture
- A denture attached to implants.
- Occlusion
- How teeth meet.
- Partial denture
- Replacement for some teeth.
- Prosthesis
- An artificial replacement.
- Shade matching
- Matching tooth color.
- Veneer
- A thin facing on a tooth.
- Vertical dimension
- Jaw height when closed.
- Wax-up
- A model of planned teeth.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Prosthodontist practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Prosthodontist training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.