Ch. 6 Dental Emergencies

• trismus


  tension or contraction of the mastication muscles

  • lockjaw
• dysphagia


  difficulty swallowing
• another name for swallowing

  deglutition
• sialoadenitis


  inflammation of a salivary gland
• tic douloureux


  degeneration or pressure on the trigeminal (fifth cranial) nerve that causes neuralgia and painful contraction of facial muscles
• Bell's palsy


  a sudden but temporary unilateral facial paralysis from an unknown cause but may involve swelling of the facial nerve from an immune or viral infection
• temporomandibular joint (TMJ)


  union of the joints of the temporal and the mandibular bones
• philtrum


  median groove on the external edge of the upper lip to the base of the nose
• commissure


  corners of the mouth where the lips meet
• vermillion border


  area where the pink-red lip tissue meets the facial skin
• labio-mental groove


  groove between the lip (labium) and the chin (mental)
• naso-labial groove 


  groove from the nose (naso) to the lip (labium)
• labial tubercle


  small, rounded elevation or eminence on the lip labium
• oral lesion


  altered inflammatory tissue or infected patch in the skin
• gingivitis


  inflammation of the gums
• periodontitis


  inflammation of the periosteal tissues
• periodontal abscess

  abscess originating in and progressing from periodontitis
• pericoronitis


  inflammation around the crown of a tooth

  • common in the third molar (wisdom tooth)
• ANUG (acute necrotic ulcerative gingivitis)


  highly inflammed and dying gingival tissues

  • also called trench mouth/Vincent's infection
• cellulitis


  inflammation of connective tissues
• fistula


  tissue opening for pus drainage, providing some pain relief from buildup of pulpal pressue
• epulis


  fibrous tumor of oral tissue
• aphthous ulcer


  small, painful ulcer within the mouth

  • also called canker sore
• Fordyce granules


  small, yellow spots on the mucous membrane, usually the soft palate and buccal mucosa considered a developmental condition
• thrush


  fungus infection of mouth and/or throat
• candida albicans

  sore, white plaque areas resulting from long-term antibiotic therapy permitting fungus buildup
• herpes simplex virus (HSV)


  vesicles/watery pimples that burst and crust; caused by a virus
• primary herpes


  occurs in young children in mouth/lips
• recurrent herpes


  reappears on the lip area throughout life
• herpes genitalis


  lesions occurring on genitalia that is sexually transmitted
• cheilosis


  condition of inflamed lip

  • particularly at the corners of the lips
• mucocele


  soft nodule commonly found on the lower lip, caused by trauma to accessory salivary gland
• circumvallate papillae


  large, mushroom-shaped papillae on the posterior dorsum area of the tongue; considered to have developmental cause
• glossitis


  inflammation of the tongue from various reasons
• geographic tongue


  flat, irregular, red lesions on the dorsum of the tongue
• hairy tongue


  black or dark brown projections resembling hairs arising from the tongue dorsum
• fissured tongue


  deep crack in center of tongue dorsum
• ankyloglossia


  shortness of the lingual frenum

  • tongue tied
• leukoplakia


  white patches on oral tissues

  • oral cancer
• erythroplakia


  red tissue patch on oral mucosa of palate

  • oral cancer