Dental Laboratories Glossary
105 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
Implant Abutment Torque
The rotational force, measured in Newton-centimetres, applied when tightening an abutment screw onto a dental implant to achieve proper seating and prevent loosening.
Periapical Radiograph
A dental X-ray image showing the entire tooth including root and surrounding bone, often accompanying laboratory prescri...
PFM
Abbreviation for porcelain-fused-to-metal, a crown or bridge construction in which a porcelain veneer is bonded to a cas...
pindex system
A precision pin-and-hole method used in dental laboratories to create removable dies from a full-arch gypsum cast, allow...
PIP
Abbreviation for Pressure Indicator Paste; a coloured diagnostic medium used to locate pressure points on the fitting su...
PMMA
Abbreviation for polymethyl methacrylate, a thermoplastic acrylic material widely used in dental laboratories for provis...
pontic
The artificial tooth in a fixed bridge that spans the gap left by a missing tooth, suspended between abutment crowns.
porcelain firing
The controlled high-temperature heat treatment in a porcelain furnace that sinters ceramic powder into a dense, transluc...
Porcelain Fused to Metal
A fixed dental restoration in which a layer of dental porcelain is fused to a cast metal alloy substructure, combining t...
Post-and-Core
A restorative foundation consisting of a post inserted into a prepared root canal and a core build-up that replaces miss...
post-dam
A pressure-seal ridge built into the posterior border of an upper complete denture, designed to maintain suction and pre...
pressure indicator paste
A coloured diagnostic paste applied to the intaglio surface of a prosthesis to identify areas of excessive pressure or p...
proximal contact
The area where adjacent teeth or prosthetic restorations touch one another at their side surfaces, critical for maintain...
PVS
Abbreviation for polyvinyl siloxane, an addition-reaction silicone elastomeric impression material widely used for preci...
refractory die
A heat-resistant duplicate of a prepared tooth model used during the ceramic or wax firing process in dental laboratory...
rest seat
A precisely prepared recess on the occlusal, lingual, or cingulum surface of a tooth that receives the rigid rest of a r...
retainer
The crown or inlay component of a fixed partial denture that is cemented to the prepared abutment tooth to anchor the br...
RPD
Abbreviation for removable partial denture, a prosthetic appliance that replaces some but not all teeth and can be remov...
sandblasting
A surface treatment in which fine abrasive particles are propelled under air pressure onto a restoration to clean, rough...
screw-retained prosthesis
An implant-supported restoration that is attached to the implant abutment or fixture by a screw rather than by dental ce...
shade tab
A physical ceramic or resin reference sample used to match and communicate tooth colour between the dental clinic and th...
Silane Coupling Agent
A bifunctional chemical applied to ceramic or glass-ceramic surfaces to create a chemical bond with resin-based cements...
sintering
A high-temperature furnace process that densifies pre-sintered zirconia or ceramic blanks to their final hardness and di...
sprue
A wax or plastic rod attached to a wax pattern to create a channel through which molten metal flows into a casting mould...
STL file
A standard digital file format (stereolithography) used to represent three-dimensional surface geometry, widely used in...