Dental A-Z

A pigmented area of skin or mucous membrane which has developed prior to birth and is often referred to as a birthmark.

The process that destroys living tissues. e.g. gangrene .If the blood supply is cut off from an area of the body or an organ, tissues will become necrotic.

An abnormal growth or swelling of the tissues. May be slow or fast growing and either benign or malignant. Diagnosis depends upon a biopsy being taken and the cell histology being studied.

Pain arising from a nerve trunk or pathway. Very severe facial pain can be caused by trigeminal neuralgia which affects the face. It can be severely debilitating, sometimes requiring surgery to cut the nerve supply.

A unit of nerve tissue which is part of the nervous system connected to various parts of the body and transmitting impulses enabling sensation and movement.

National Health Service

The sweet smelling gas used during the early days of general anaesthesia in dentistry - known as laughing gas. It is rapidly absorbed into the blood stream and has analgesic effects. Nitrous oxide is still used in obstetrics mixed with oxygen to reduce the discomfort of child birth.

The patients input of food and drink. The quality and type has a significant effect on general and dental health. Sugar is a major contributor to dental decay. A key finding is that tooth decay depends on how often - rather than how much - sugar is eaten. The dental profession recommends restricting sugar intake to no more than three or four times a day.