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Rebase: The process of refitting a denture by replacing the base material.
Receded gums: A condition characterized by the abnormal loss of gum tissue due to infection or bone loss.
Referral: When a dental patient is sent to another dentist, usually a specialist, for treatment or consultation.
Reline: The process of resurfacing the tissue side of a denture with a base material.
Replantation: The return of a tooth to its socket.
Resorption: The breakdown and assimilation of the bone that supports the tooth, i.e., bone loss.
Restoration: Any material or devise used to replace lost tooth structure (filling, crown) or to replace a lost tooth or teeth (bridge, dentures, complete or partial).
Retainer: A removable dental appliance, usually used in orthodontics, that maintains space between teeth or holds teeth in a fixed position until the bone solidifies around them.
Retrograde filling: A method of sealing the root canal by preparing and filling it from the root tip, generally done at the completion of an apiocoectomy.
Ridge enhancement: (bone replacement) the placement of a synthetic bone material, or freeze dried bone, inserted immediately after an extraction into the socket of the tooth. This is done to prevent collapsing of the surrounding bone.
Root: The part of the tooth below the crown , normally encased in the jawbone. It is made up of dentin, includes the root canal, and is covered by cementum.
Root Canal: The hollow part of the tooth’s root. It runs from the tip of the root into the pulp.
Root canal therapy: The process of treating disease or inflammation of the pulp or root canal. This involves removing the pulp and root’s nerve(s) and filling the canal(s) with and appropriate material to permanently seal it.
Root planning: The process of scaling and planing exposed root surfaces to remove all calculus, plaque, and infected tissue.
