Pontic
Definition
The artificial tooth in a fixed bridge that spans the gap left by a missing tooth. The pontic is not attached to bone; it is supported by the bridge framework cemented to the adjacent abutment teeth. Its presence on a radiograph is a distinctive charting feature.
Related terms
- Ante-Mortem Record
- Any dental document created during a person's lifetime: clinical charts, radiographs (periapical, panoramic, bitewing), photographs, study models, and treatment notes. These are...
- Dental Chart
- A systematic tooth-by-tooth record of the clinical state of a dentition, including restorations, missing teeth, prosthetics, pathology, and morphological features. Both ante-mortem...
- INTERPOL DVI
- The INTERPOL Disaster Victim Identification process, governed by the INTERPOL DVI Guide (current edition 2018). Dental data are recorded on colour-coded forms:...
- Postmortem Dental Record
- The dental chart completed by a forensic odontologist during examination of deceased remains. Created under autopsy or scene conditions, often from partially...
- Restoration Surface
- The specific face(s) of a tooth carrying a filling or other restoration. Surfaces are abbreviated M (mesial), D (distal), O (occlusal), B...
Explained in
- Dental Charting and the Postmortem Dental RecordThe artificial tooth in a fixed bridge that spans the gap left by a missing tooth. The pontic is not attached to bone; it is supported by the bridge framework...