A soft mixture of mercury and alloys of silver, tin, and copper that becomes very hard when set and has been used to fill tooth cavities: Now, applications of dental amalgams are being replaced with another plastic-type of filling, or gold, etc.

The soft tissue overlying the crown of a partially erupted tooth.

The replacement of a tooth or of a section of teeth by partial or full dentures: Steven had to go to the dentist to have a new tooth put in where one was missing and found out that this procedure was called dental prosthesis.

In dentistry, the use of low levels of electric current to block pain signals en route to the brain.

The patient controls the current through a hand-held box. The current creates no discomfort and, unlike local anesthesia, the patient does not have to wait for the numbness to go away once the dental work is completed.