Click to login First Visit
Emergency Info
Early Decay Prevention
Treatment Info & Options
Appointments
Financial Options
Insurance Guidelines
Forms
FAQs
Child Friendly Terms
Glossary of Dental Terms

The Dentist says...	Adults say...	Parents, please tell your child...
Which problems do patients have?
Cavity	Hole in Tooth	You have a sick tooth; you have sugar bugs in your tooth.
Abscess	Gum boil, swelling, infection	For little kids: there's an 'owie' right here
Fractured Tooth	Broken Tooth	Broken Tooth
What dentists do:
Put mouth prop into mouth	Bite block	The dentist puts a tooth chair Or tooth pillow in your mouth so you can rest your teeth on it.
Give injection	Give shot; use needle; poke; injection	Squirt some sleepy juice/water next to your tooth
Rubber Dam	Rubber Dam	The dentist puts a rain coat around your tooth to keep your face dry
Extraction	Knock out; yank; pull	Your tooth turned into an owie and we will get rid of the owie; Wiggle a tooth out; Remove a sick tooth; Get ready for Tooth Fairy and Big Boy/girl teeth
Prepare the tooth for a filling / cavity preparation	Drilling	Clean the sugar bugs out of your tooth; Clean the sick part away
Restoration (filling)	Metal filling	Band-Aid; Silver Star/Play-Dough; White Star/Play-Dough
Sealants	Sealants; coating of tooth; tooth gets painted	We paint something on your tooth to make your tooth smooth and strong, so the sugar bugs cannot get into it.
Pulpotomy	Root canal; Nerve	Clean sick tooth and give it some medicine
Stainless steel crowns	Crowns; caps	Tooth jewelry / Tooth baseball cap
Make an impression	Make an impression; make a form of the teeth	We have some pudding and make a model of your teeth with it.
Medicines dentists use:
Nitrous oxide	Gas	Special air; Special perfume
Nitrous oxide mask	Gas mask	Scuba mask; Airplane pilot mask
Sedative	Drug; Put you under; Put you to sleep	Yummy medicine; Special juice
Local anesthesia (numb)	Drug; Put you under; Put you to sleep	Sleepy juice
Instruments dentists use:
Immobilizer	Papoose board; Restraint	Butterfly blanket; Surfboard
Suction	Suction; vacuum	Mr. Thirsty
Air / Water syringe	Squirt water / air	Wash and dry the tooth; Mr. Wind
Explorer	Instrument; pick	Tooth counter; some of your teeth are itchy and I scratch them with this
Scaler	Scraper	Tooth cleaner
Curing light	Light gun	Tooth hair dryer
Handpiece (high-speed)	Drill, Cut	Mr. Whistle; Super Fast Toothbrush
Handpiece (low-speed)	Drill, Cut	Mr. Bumpy