Glossary
Technical terms around fixed teeth, clearly explained.
Technical terms can be intimidating. This glossary translates the key terms from implantology and bone grafting into clear, everyday language – so you can understand your treatment plan with ease.
Abutment
Prosthetics & materials- The connecting piece between the implant anchored in the bone and the visible tooth. It acts like a small intermediate element onto which the crown or bridge is later screwed.
AI-generated imagery
About this site- People-related illustrations on this page are computer-generated, stylised illustrations – not photos of real patients. They serve exclusively for illustrative presentation and protect the privacy of those actually treated. The small geometric symbol on the images marks such AI-generated representations.
All-on-X
Prosthetics & materials- A restoration concept in which a complete set of teeth (all teeth of a jaw) is fixed on only four or six implants. It often enables a fixed restoration even with severe bone loss, without implanting each tooth individually.
Allogeneic bone
Bone grafting- Processed bone from a human donor. It is industrially cleaned and sterilised and serves as a scaffold on which the body’s own bone rebuilds – without an additional harvest site on the patient.
Alloplastic bone substitute material
Bone grafting- Artificially produced material such as hydroxylapatite or tricalcium phosphate that is slowly resorbed or remodelled into the body’s own bone. It is suitable when the patient’s own bone or donor material is not desired.
Alveolus
Basics- The small socket in the jaw bone in which the root of a natural tooth is anchored. When a tooth is removed, the alveolus remains as an empty socket and heals with bone over the following weeks.
Atrophy
Basics- The shrinking of tissue – here the jaw bone. Without the load of tooth roots the bone diminishes over the years (jaw ridge resorption). Augmentation compensates for this loss.
Augmentation
Bone grafting- The medical term for bone grafting. Bone is restored where it was lost through tooth loss, inflammation or resorption, so that an implant finds stable hold.
Autogenous bone (own bone)
Bone grafting- Bone taken from the patient at their own site and reinserted at the missing jaw site. It integrates particularly well but requires a second, small harvest site – for example from the chin or the retromolar region.
BMP (bone morphogenetic proteins)
Bone grafting- Bone morphogenetic proteins are the body’s own signalling substances that stimulate bone growth. As a biotechnological supplement they can be used specifically to fill difficult defects with bone more quickly.
Bone block
Bone grafting- A piece of the body’s own bone that is fixed at a narrow jaw site to build up width. After healing it creates a stable foundation for the implant.
Bone grafting
Bone grafting- When bone is too narrow or too low for an implant, it is rebuilt. This is done with the body’s own bone, bone substitute material or a combination – often at the same time as implantation.
Bone splitting
Bone grafting- A technique for a too-narrow jaw ridge: the bone is split slightly like a book and gently spread to gain width for an implant – often without additional bone material.
Bone substitute granules (particles)
Bone grafting- Fine grains of bone material that are placed into a bone defect. They support the wound and serve as a scaffold into which the body’s own bone gradually grows.
Bone substitute material
Bone grafting- Artificial or processed material that supports the bone space instead of the body’s own bone and serves as a scaffold for new bone. Often gentler, as no second harvest site is needed.
CAD/CAM
Diagnostics & planning- Computer-aided design and manufacturing of dental restorations. From digital scan data, crowns, bridges or abutments are designed precisely on the computer and milled by machine – precise and fast.
CBCT
Diagnostics & planning- Cone-beam computed tomography is a three-dimensional X-ray procedure. It provides a spatial image of the jaw with bone height, width and nerve course and is the basis for safe implant planning.
Ceramic implant (one-piece)
Prosthetics & materials- An implant made of zirconia in one piece, i.e. screw and abutment connected. It is metal-free, very aesthetic and the transition between two materials is omitted – cleaning is therefore particularly easy.
Commercially pure titanium (grade 4)
Prosthetics & materials- Particularly pure titanium (Commercially Pure), known for its excellent biocompatibility and firm bond with the bone. It is the classic among implant materials and has been used millions of times for decades.
Delayed implantation
Surgery & bone grafting- Implantation only after completed bone healing, usually several weeks to months after tooth loss. Often the gentler planning variant with prior bone grafting.
Distraction osteogenesis
Bone grafting- A procedure in which a too-low jaw section is gradually "pulled" in length. The body forms fresh bone between the separated bone ends – like slow growth.
Endosseous implant
Basics- An implant anchored in the bone ("endosseous") – usually a titanium screw. It replaces the root of a missing tooth and fuses firmly with the jaw bone.
Exposure
Surgery & bone grafting- A second small procedure after the healing phase: the implant resting under the mucosa is exposed so that the abutment and later the dental restoration can be placed. In some procedures this step is omitted (transgingival technique).
GBR / membrane
Bone grafting- "Guided Bone Regeneration". A tiny membrane protects the inserted bone material and keeps soft tissue away so that bone can form undisturbed.
Gingiva
Basics- The gums. Healthy, well-adapted gums protect the transition between implant and oral cavity and are important for long-term success and aesthetics.
Healing phase / osseointegration
Surgery & bone grafting- The time in which the implant grows firmly together with the bone (osseointegration). It usually lasts several weeks to months in the upper jaw; only afterwards is the dental restoration loaded.
Hydroxylapatite coating
Prosthetics & materials- A wafer-thin ceramic layer on the implant surface. Hydroxylapatite is the natural mineral component of bone and can accelerate ingrowth, especially with difficult bone quality.
Immediate implantation
Surgery & bone grafting- Placement of the implant immediately after tooth removal in the same session. Saves one procedure, but is only possible with sufficient bone and an inflammation-free wound.
Implant surface (SLA / structured)
Prosthetics & materials- The rough surface of the implant screw, usually produced by sandblasting and acid etching. This micro-roughness enlarges the contact surface and helps the bone bond with the implant more quickly and firmly.
Implant thread (shape)
Prosthetics & materials- The profile of the screw on the implant. Different threads (compact, self-tapping or cylindrical) adapt to bone quality and ensure firm hold right from the first tightening torque.
Intraoral scanner
Diagnostics & planning- A small hand-held device that captures the jaw and teeth three-dimensionally and digitally – without a conventional impression with putty. The data flow directly into the planning and fabrication of the dental restoration.
Jaw ridge
Basics- The upper bone margin of the jaw on which the teeth sit. After tooth loss it recedes over time; an adequately wide and high jaw ridge is a prerequisite for an implant.
Mucositis
Aftercare & risks- A mild gum inflammation at the implant, without bone loss yet. It is often a precursor of peri-implantitis and can be reversed well through professional cleaning.
PEEK
Prosthetics & materials- A high-strength, biocompatible plastic occasionally used for abutments or pillars. It is X-ray-friendly and can be an option for allergy- or metal-sensitive patients.
Peri-implantitis
Aftercare & risks- An inflammation around an implant with bone loss around the screw. If recognised early it is treatable; regular aftercare and prophylaxis protect against it.
PRF (platelet-rich fibrin)
Bone grafting- A fibrin-rich gel obtained from a small blood sample of the patient. It contains the body’s own growth factors and accelerates the healing of bone and soft tissue – entirely without foreign material.
Resorbable membrane
Bone grafting- A protective membrane that dissolves by itself in the body after a few weeks, making a second procedure to remove it unnecessary. It keeps soft gums away until the bone has formed.
Roxolid (titanium-zirconia alloy)
Prosthetics & materials- A composite material of titanium and zirconia. It is stronger than pure titanium and thereby allows narrower and shorter implants – an option with very little bone available.
Sinus lift
Bone grafting- Elevation of the maxillary sinus floor in the upper jaw: bone material is placed between the maxillary sinus and the jaw ridge to create height for an implant. Frequently necessary when there is too little bone in the posterior region of the upper jaw.
Socket preservation
Bone grafting- A measure directly after tooth removal: the empty tooth socket (alveolus) is filled with bone substitute material so that the jaw ridge does not shrink. This preserves enough bone for a later implant.
Suprastructure
Prosthetics & materials- The visible dental restoration on the implant – crown, bridge or fixed prosthesis. It is screwed or cemented onto the abutment.
Titanium
Prosthetics & materials- The proven metal for most implants. It is biocompatible, corrosion-resistant and bonds particularly reliably with the bone.
Titanium alloy (grade 5)
Prosthetics & materials- A mixture of titanium with small amounts of aluminium and vanadium. It is stronger than pure titanium and is used under special loads, for example narrow implants – with the same biocompatibility.
Two-piece implant
Prosthetics & materials- An implant of two parts: the screw anchored in the bone and the removable abutment. This design allows flexible prosthetics and is the most common form – in both titanium and ceramic.
Xenogeneic bone material
Bone grafting- Bone substitute material of animal origin, usually from cattle. After elaborate cleaning only the mineral bone scaffold remains, which serves as a guiding structure for new bone. It is well tolerated and standard in many augmentations.
Zirconia
Prosthetics & materials- A high-performance ceramic material for implants and abutments. It is metal-free, biocompatible and tooth-coloured – an alternative when a metal-free restoration is desired.
This glossary does not replace individual advice. Which treatment makes sense for you is decided solely by your treating dentist or oral surgeon – on the basis of the clinical findings.
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