Glossary

A dentin grinder is a special tool used to grind extracted teeth into usable dentin for autogenous grafts. Autogenous grafts are considered the “gold standard” of grafting material since they come from the patient’s own body, however, the need for a second surgical site typically meant that a different kind of graft was selected to prevent having two incisions and the additional risk for infection. With a dentin grinder, a dentist or periodontist can create autogenous grafting material from the patient’s own extracted teeth. The tooth is inserted into the grinder, which typically produces particulate dentin about three times the volume of the original tooth. Most dentin grinders come with a sterilization kit that allows dental professionals to sterilize the ground dentin before using it in a grafting procedure. Autogenous grafts are at a low risk for infection, improving patient outcomes and overall satisfaction after the procedure has been completed.

Dentures are one of the most commonly used dental devices, along with braces and mouthguards. Dentures are either one or two sets of artificial teeth and gums that are designed to be temporarily worn and removed for cleaning and rest. There are three different types of dentures: traditional full dentures, immediate full dentures, and partial dentures. Traditional full dentures are generally the most common and are a complete set of top and bottom dentures. Partial dentures are as the name indicates: a partial set of upper or lower dentures. Partials can be used when a patient is able to retain some of their natural teeth and only needs dentures for one or two sections of missing teeth, which are connected by a wire similar to a retainer. Finally, immediate full dentures are dentures that are placed right after the extraction of natural teeth so patients do not have to be without their teeth for any length of time.