| Acid etch | An acidic preparation which cleans and primes the tooth surface so that the bracket adhesive will bond to it |
| Alginate | A soft colloidal compound used to make moulds or impressions of the teeth |
| Aligners | A series of transparent splints designed to move the teeth progressively into line. Common trade names are "Invisalign" and "Clearstep". |
| Angle's Classification | A widely used classification of malocclusions devised by the pioneer orthodontist Edward Angle |
| Ankylosis | Abnormal fixation of a tooth to the bone, preventing orthodontic tooth movement |
| Anodontia | Congenital absence of all the teeth (cf. hypodontia) |
| Anterior | Situated in the front, a term commonly used to denote the incisor and canine teeth |
| Apex | The tip of the tooth root |
| Arch | The complete row of teeth in each jaw, resembling an arch in shape |
| Archwire | A wire which is engages in brackets to move teeth to the desired position |
| Articulator | A device to hold models of the teeth in occlusion and simulate the movements of the jaws |
| Attrition | Wear of the biting surfaces of the teeth |
| Band | A thin strip of metal cemented around a tooth, usually carrying a bracket or tube |
| Banding | The process of cementing orthodontic bands to the teeth |
| Bite | 1. The way the teeth come into contact. 2. An imprint of that contact, usually in wax, used to relate the upper and lower study models |
| Bite plane | A removable appliance made of acrylic with a raised bite platform for the lower teeth to contact. Often used to reduce deep bites |
| Bonding | The process of attaching brackets to the teeth using an orthodontic adhesive |
| Braces | Orthodontic appliances used to move teeth and jaws |
| Bracket | A metal or ceramic attachment bonded to a tooth to provide a means of engaging an arch wire |
| Breakaway | A safety device used with headgear to guard against injury |
| Bridge | Artificial teeth bonded to adjacent teeth to replace missing teeth |
| Bruxism | Grinding the teeth during sleep; often wears down the tooth surface |
| Caries | Dental decay caused by the acid generated from sugars by bacteria in the mouth |
| Cast | A plaster model of the teeth |
| Cementum | A thin layer of hard tissue covering the root of a tooth |
| Centric occlusion | The relation of the teeth of one arch to those of the other when the jaws are closed in their natural position |
| Cephalometric radiograph | A radiograph of the head showing the positioning of the teeth and jaws. Repeat cephalometric radiographs can show growth or treatment changes
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| Cheek retractor | An device used to hold the lips and cheeks clear of the teeth during treatment |
| Clasp | A component of a removable appliance which clips to a tooth in order to hold the appliance in position |
| Class I malocclusion | A malocclusion where neither the upper nor lower teeth are prominent relative to the opposing teeth |
| Class II malocclusion | A malocclusion where the upper teeth are prominent relative to the lower teeth |
| Class III malocclusion | A malocclusion where the lower teeth are prominent relative to the upper teeth. |
| Cleft palate | A congenital gap in the palate. It may affect the hard palate or soft palate, or both |
| Cleft lip | A congenital gap in the lip |
| Consultation | A meeting with an orthodontist where the orthodontic problem is assessed and possible treatment discussed |
| Congenital | Arising before birth |
| Cross Bite | A malocclusion where the upper teeth bite inside the lower teeth |
| Crowding | Insufficient space for the teeth |
| Curing light | A light used for setting orthodontic adhesives, most often giving out blue light |
| Debanding | Removal of orthodontic bands |
| Debonding | Removal of the brackets bonded to the teeth |
| Deciduous teeth | "Baby" or "milk" teeth which fall out in time to be replaced by the permanent teeth |
| Deep bite | Excessive overbite |
| Dentine | The hard inner layer of the tooth surrounding the pulp or "nerve" of the tooth |
| Diastema | A gap between two teeth, usually at the front of the mouth |
| Disclosing tablets | Tablets of food dye used for staining plaque on the teeth as an aid to better tooth brushing |
| Enamel | The hard outer layer of the tooth surrounding the softer underlying dentine. |
| Erosion | Widespread loss of dental enamel by acid attack, usually dietary in origin |
| Eruption | Emergence of the tooth through the gum |
| Exfoliation | The natural process by which the deciduous teeth are lost |
| Extra-oral | Outside the mouth |
| Facebow | Transmits the force from a headgear to the teeth. The facebow has an outer bow which passes round the cheeks and is attached to the headgear. The inner bow lies inside the mouth and fits into tubes on the brace
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| Fixed appliance | An orthodontic appliance bonded to the teeth, |
| Fluoride | A naturally occurring element which inhibits dental decay, often used as a mouthwash during orthodontic treatment |
| Fraenum | A fold of fleshy tissue which runs between the gums and the cheeks or the tongue |
| Functional Appliance | A removable appliance which holds the lower jaw in a forward position in order to correct the bite |
| Gingiva | The part of the gum which surrounds the teeth |
| Headgear | A devise which fits round the head or neck to provide a force to move teeth. Connects to the teeth via a facebow |
| Hypodontia | Congenital absence of one or more teeth |
| Impacted tooth | A tooth whose eruption is prevented by the position of adjacent teeth |
| Impression | A mould of the teeth used to make models of the teeth |
| Interceptive Treatment | Minor treatment carried out at an early age with a view to simplifying later treatment |
| Intra-oral | Inside the mouth |
| Intra-oral traction | Elastic bands or other devices stretched between the upper and lower teeth in order to change their relative positions
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| Inter-proximal reduction | Reducing the width the teeth to reduce crowding |
| Ligature | A small elastic loop or wire holding an arch wire in a bracket |
| Lingual arch | A wire passing behind the lower incisors and attached to the molar teeth |
| Lingual orthodontics | A brace fixed behind the teeth (on the "lingual" surface) rather than on the front. |
| Lingual retainer | A retainer fixed behind the upper or lower front teeth |
| Lip bumper | A wire attached to the molar teeth and passing in front of the incisors, intended to allow the incisors to move forward and to move the molars back. |
| Malocclusion | Abnormal arrangement of the teeth or jaws |
| Mandible | The lower jaw |
| Maxilla | The upper jaw |
| Miniscrews | Small screws placed temporarily in the jaw to provide anchorage for forces to move the teeth |
| Mouthguard | A moulded appliance which protects the teeth and orthodontic appliances when playing sports |
| Neck Pad | A padded strap passing round the neck and attached to a facebow |
| Nickel-titanium | A highly flexible type of orthodontic wire, widely used to bring teeth into line |
| Occlusion | Contact between the upper and lower teeth |
| Open bite | A malocclusion in which some of the teeth cannot make contact |
| Oral Surgery | The speciality of dentistry concerned with surgical procedures in and about the mouth and jaws |
| Orthodontics | The branch of dentistry concerned with the management of abnormal development in the teeth and jaws. |
| Orthodontist | A dentist who practises orthodontics, normally after further training in the subject. Specialist orthodontists have had formal training in the subject and are on the Specialist List of the General Dental Council
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| Orthognathic Surgery | Correction of the position of the jaws by means of an osteotomy (see below), usually combined with orthodontic straightening of the teeth |
| Osteotomy | An operation which cuts through the jaw bone allowing the jaw to be repositioned. Mostly undertaken where there is a malocclusion resulting from a severe mismatch in the sizes of the jaws. |
| Overbite | The vertical overlap of the upper teeth over the lower teeth |
| Overjet | The horizontal distance by which the upper teeth lie ahead of the lower teeth. |
| Palatal arch | A wire passing across the roof of the mouth and attached to the molar teeth |
| Panoramic radiograph | A radiograph showing the whole of jaws and the teeth on one film. It is taken by a machine that rotates around the head.
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| Periodontics | The specialty of dentistry concerned with diseases of the gums |
| Permanent teeth | The secondary or adult teeth. |
| Plaque | A soft white film developing on the tooth surface, consisting of mass of bacteria and proteins |
| Posterior | Situated at the back of the mouth, often refers to the premolar and molar teeth |
| Pulp | The central part of the tooth, containing nerves and blood vessels |
| Quadhelix | A zig-zag wire across the palate, used to correct a crossbite |
| Radiograph | An image of the teeth and jaws produced using x-rays |
| Referral | Sending a patient to another dentist or specialist for diagnosis and/or treatment |
| Relapse | Return towards the original malocclusion following orthodontic treatment |
| Retainer | A fixed or removable appliance worn to rpevent relapse of the teeth after orthodontic treatment |
| Safety Strap | A strap added to a headgear to prevent the facebow from coming loose |
| Self-ligating brackets | Brackets with a mechanism to clip on to the archwire so that no additonal ligature is required. The archwire slides more freely through such brackets, possibly making tooth movement easier |
| Separator | An elastic or wire loop placed between the teeth to create small spaces before bands are fitted |
| Sleep apnoea | A condition where normal breathing pattern is disturbed during sleep |
| Space maintainer | An appliance worn to prevent teeth from moving into the space left by the loss of a tooth |
| Speech therapist | A specialist in correcting speech defects |
| Sterilisation | The destruction of bacteria on instruments by heat or chemical means |
| Study Models | Plaster casts of the teeth which allow the position of the teeth and jaws to be examined |
| Supernumerary | An extra tooth |
| Temporary anchorage devices (TADS) | Small screws placed temporarily in the jaw to provide anchorage for forces to move the teeth |
| Temporo-mandibular joint | The joint between the lower jaw and the base of the skull |
| Tracing | A series of measurements taken from a cephalometric radiograph to assist in orthodontic diagnosis |
| Traction | The application of force to teeth |
| Traumatic occlusion | An abnormal bite which is damaging to a tooth and/or its supporting structures |
| Trauma | An injury to the teeth or jaws |
| Treatment Plan | An description of the clinical steps in a proposed treatment |
| Wax | Used to prevent braces from rubbing the cheeks and lips |
| Wisdom teeth | The third molars |
| X-rays | Used to produce radiographs of the teeth and jaws |
