Dental Practice Management Glossary
103 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
Osseointegration
The direct structural and functional connection between living bone and the surface of a load-bearing implant, which must be confirmed before a final prosthetic restoration is attached.
Payor Mix
The proportional breakdown of a dental practice's patient base by insurance type, fee-for-service status, and other reim...
Perio Chart
A structured clinical record documenting pocket depth measurements, bleeding points, furcation involvement, and recessio...
Perio Maintenance
A periodontal recall procedure performed at regular intervals for patients with a history of periodontal disease, distin...
Periodontal Charting
A systematic clinical record documenting the depth of gum pockets, recession, bleeding, and mobility around each tooth.
PMS
Acronym for Practice Management Software; the integrated platform used by dental offices to schedule appointments, manag...
Pontic
The artificial tooth suspended between abutments in a fixed dental bridge, replacing a missing natural tooth.
Pre-authorisation
A process by which a dental practice submits proposed treatment details to an insurer for review and estimated benefit d...
Predetermination
A process by which a dentist submits a proposed treatment plan to an insurer before providing care, in order to receive...
Prophylaxis
A professional dental cleaning procedure involving the removal of plaque, calculus, and stains from tooth surfaces above...
Radiograph
A diagnostic image of dental and surrounding structures produced by X-radiation, used for clinical assessment and legall...
Re-care
The scheduled return visit for a patient's routine preventive dental appointment, used as an alternative to 'recall' in...
Recall Interval
The clinician-prescribed period between a patient's routine preventive dental appointments.
Same-Day Treatment
A clinical and scheduling strategy in which a patient diagnosed with a dental condition receives restorative or other tr...
Scaling and Root Planing
A non-surgical periodontal therapy procedure involving the removal of calculus and bacterial toxins from tooth roots bel...
SOAP Note
A structured clinical documentation format organising patient encounter information under four headings: Subjective, Obj...
Subgingival
Located or occurring below the gumline, used in dentistry to describe calculus deposits, instrumentation, or restorative...
Subscriber
The individual in whose name a dental insurance policy is held, who may also be referred to as the primary insured or po...
Superbill
A detailed itemised receipt issued by a dental provider that includes procedure codes, diagnosis codes, and fee informat...
Supernumerary Tooth
An extra tooth that exceeds the normal complement of primary or permanent dentition and requires specific documentation...
Supragingival
Located or occurring above the gingival margin (the gum line).
Table of Allowances
A fixed schedule of maximum dollar amounts a dental insurer will pay for each covered procedure, regardless of the denti...
Tooth Universal Numbering System
The American Dental Association's standardised system for identifying individual teeth using numbers 1–32 for permanent...
Treatment Plan
A formal clinical and financial document outlining the proposed sequence of dental procedures, associated CDT codes, fee...
UCR
Acronym for Usual, Customary, and Reasonable; the fee benchmark insurers use to determine maximum reimbursement for a de...