Restorative dentistry

Denture, Partial, Temporary

Denture, Partial, Temporary (interim removable partial denture, flipper): an acrylic partial denture for short-term or emergency tooth replacement until a definitive prosthesis; MeSH D003833, introduced 1965.

Digital smile design

Digital smile design (DSD) is a digital dentistry workflow that uses facial and intraoral photographs, video, and software to analyze smile esthetics and plan cosmetic treatment, producing a digital wax-up and mock-up.

Gingival Retraction Techniques

Gingival retraction techniques (retraction cords, pastes, gels, laser troughing) temporarily displace gum tissue to expose subgingival margins for dental impressions; cords displace more, pastes and lasers traumatize less.

Hall technique

The Hall technique is a minimally invasive pediatric dentistry method that seals a preformed metal crown over a decayed baby molar without drilling or anesthesia.

Inlays

Inlays: fixed intracoronal dental restorations fabricated outside the tooth and luted into a prepared cavity, made of gold, ceramic, or composite; distinct from onlays, which cover cusps. First porcelain inlay 1857; CAD/CAM machining since the 1980s.

Light-Curing of Dental Adhesives

Light-curing of dental adhesives: photopolymerization of resin bonding materials using dental light-curing units (QTH, LED, plasma arc), camphorquinone photoinitiators at ~465 nm, radiant exposure, and blue-light safety.

Matrix Bands

Matrix bands are thin metal or plastic walls placed around a tooth during Class II dental restorations to shape proximal contours and contacts; circumferential (Tofflemire) and sectional systems are the main types, with sectional favored for composites.

Mouth Rehabilitation

Mouth rehabilitation, also called oral or full mouth rehabilitation, is a dental procedure restoring all damaged or decayed teeth with restorative, non-cosmetic materials to improve oral health.

Operative dentistry

Operative dentistry: dental specialty restoring defective teeth without full coverage restorations, focused on adhesion and minimal intervention; its flagship journal Operative Dentistry (ISSN 0361-7734) has published bimonthly since 1976.

Overlay Denture

Overlay denture (overdenture): removable dental prosthesis built over natural tooth roots or implants, per MeSH D003828. Tooth-supported and implant-supported types; attachments include ball, bar, locator, magnet, telescopic; two-implant mandibular IOD is standard since 2002.

Partial Denture

Partial denture: removable prosthesis replacing one or more but not all natural teeth, retained by clasps on remaining teeth and gum tissue; acrylic, nylon, or metal; first documented 1711; improves short-term oral quality of life.

Periodontal Prosthesis

Periodontal prosthesis: restorative or replacement dental devices used as adjunctive therapy for periodontal disease (MeSH D010515, 1966). Covers fixed, removable, implant-supported splinting and reconstruction with defined occlusal objectives.

Permanent Dental Restoration

A permanent dental restoration is a filling intended to last indefinitely, replacing tooth structure lost to decay, fracture, or wear using amalgam, resin composite, glass ionomer, or resin-modified glass ionomer cement.

Post and core

Post and core is a dental restorative technique in which a post cemented into a root canal retains a core buildup that supports a crown on a root-treated tooth.

Post and Core Technique

Post and core technique: endodontically treated teeth with insufficient coronal structure receive an intraradicular post retaining a core for a crown; types include custom cast, prefabricated metal, fiber, ceramic, and CAD/CAM posts.

Prosthodontic Tooth Preparation

Prosthodontic tooth preparation is the instrumented reduction of a natural tooth to receive a crown or prosthesis retainer, governed by retention, resistance, biologic, and esthetic principles, taper of roughly 10 to 20 degrees, and finish line design.

Self-Curing of Dental Resins

Self-Curing of Dental Resins: chemical (redox, two-paste) polymerization of dental cements and adhesives, alone or as the chemical component of dual-cure resin cements, used where curing light cannot reach.

Temporary Dental Restoration

A temporary dental restoration is a prosthesis placed for days to months to seal a tooth between root canal sessions or while a permanent crown or bridge is made.

Tooth preparation

Tooth preparation is the restorative dentistry procedure in which tooth structure is shaped and reduced to receive a restoration such as a crown, veneer, inlay, or bridge.