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Glossary

What Did My Dentist Mean?

Treatment plans are written in shorthand for insurers, not for patients. Here is what the common terms actually mean.

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Terms you will see on a plan

Caries
Tooth decay.
Composite
Tooth-coloured filling material.
Amalgam
Traditional silver filling material.
Crown
A cover over the whole tooth.
Onlay
A partial cover over the biting surface.
RCT / endodontics
Root canal treatment.
Core build-up
Rebuilding the inside of a tooth so a crown has something to sit on.
SRP
Scaling and root planing — deep cleaning below the gum line.
Periodontal pocket
The measured space between tooth and gum.
Prophylaxis
A routine cleaning.
Pontic
The replacement tooth in a bridge.
Abutment
The part connecting an implant to its crown, or a tooth supporting a bridge.
Occlusion
How your teeth meet when you bite.
Bone loss
Reduction in the bone supporting a tooth.
Extraction
Removal of a tooth.

A note on reading your plan

Codes and abbreviations exist for billing. They do not tell you why something is recommended, and they are not a substitute for an explanation. If a line on your plan is unclear, ask what it is and what happens without it.

Nothing here is a diagnosis for your mouth. It is vocabulary, so the conversation can be about the decision rather than the jargon.

What to do next

Bring your plan to your visit and we will go through it line by line.

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General information reviewed by Mankirat Gill, DDS · August 2026. Not a substitute for an in-person examination.