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Dental Insurance Glossary
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- Paid By CareFirst
- The amount CareFirst paid to the health care provider(s) or the subscriber for services covered by the Explanation of Benefits.
- Palate
- The hard and soft tissues forming the roof of the mouth that separates the oral and nasal cavities.
- Palliative
- Action that relieves pain but is not curative.
- Panoramic Radiograph
- An extraoral radiograph on which the maxilla and mandible are depicted on a single film.
- Parafunctional
- Other than normal function or use.
- Partial Denture
- Usually refers to a prosthetic device that replaces missing teeth; (see fixed partial denture or removable partial denture).
- Patient
- An individual who has established a professional relationship with a dentist for the delivery of dental health care. For matters relating to communication of information and consent this term includes the patient’s parent, caretaker, guardian, or other individual as appropriate under state law and the circumstances of the case.
- Patient’s Responsibility
- The amount that the provider can collect from the patient for the services indicated. The Deductible and Co-pay/Co-insurance amounts and some Non-Allowed Amounts and Benefit Reduction Amounts are included. Your responsibility amount depends on the type of coverage you have, what other type of insurance coverage is involved, and if the provider participates in the CareFirst plan. If the payment was made to a non-participating provider, the subscriber or other designated payee, your responsibility will reflect the charge minus CareFirst payment and any other insurance payment, except Medicare non-assigned payments.
- Pediatric Dentist
- A dental specialist whose practice is limited to treatment of children from birth through adolescence; formerly known as a pedodontist.
- Pedodontist
- See Pediatric Dentist.
- Periapical
- The area surrounding the end of the tooth root.
- Periapical Abscess
- Acute or chronic inflammation and pus formation at the end of a tooth root in the alveolar bone, secondary to infection.
- Periapical Cyst
- Cyst at the apex of a tooth with a non-vital pulp.
- Periapical Radiograph
- A radiograph made by the intraoral placement of film for disclosing the apices of the teeth.
- Pericoronal
- Around the crown of a tooth.
- Periodic Oral Evaluation
- An evaluation performed on a patient of record to determine any changes in the patient’s dental and medical health status since a previous comprehensive or periodic evaluation. This may require interpretation of information acquired through additional diagnostic procedures. Report additional diagnostic procedures separately.
- Periodontal
- Pertaining to the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth.
- Periodontal Abscess
- Abscess of the gingiva or periodontal tissue to periodontal infection, as contrasted to periapical abscess or periradicular abscess.
- Periodontal Disease
- Inflammatory process of the gingival tissues and/or periodontal membrane of the teeth, resulting in an abnormally deep gingival sulcus, possibly producing periodontal pockets and loss of supporting alveolar bone.
- Periodontal Pocket
- Pathologically deepened gingival sulcus; a feature of periodontal disease.
- Periodontist
- A dental specialist whose practice is limited to the treatment of diseases of the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth.
- Periodontitis
- Inflammation and loss of the connective tissue of the supporting or surrounding structure of teeth with loss of attachment.
- Periradicular
- Surrounding a portion of the root of the tooth.
- Periradicular Abscess
- Acute or chronic inflammation around a tooth root in the alveolar bone, secondary to infection.
- Permanent Dentition
- Refers to the permanent teeth in the dental arch.
- Plaque
- A soft sticky substance that accumulates on teeth composed largely of bacteria and bacterial derivatives.
- Pontic
- The term used for an artificial tooth on a fixed partial denture (bridge).
- Post
- An elongated projection fitted and cemented within the prepared root canal, serving to strengthen and retain restorative material and/or a crown restoration.
- Posterior
- Refers to teeth and tissues towards the back of the mouth (distal to the canines) – maxillary and mandibular premolars and molars.
- Precision Attachment
- Interlocking device, one component of which is fixed to an abutment or abutments and the other is integrated into a fixed or removable prosthesis in order to stabilize and/or retain it.
- Premedication
- The use of medications prior to dental procedures.
- Premolar
- A tooth with two cusps; also called Bicuspid.
- Primary Dentition
- The first set of teeth; see deciduous.
- Prophylaxis
- Scaling and polishing procedure performed to remove coronal plaque, calculus, and stains.
- Prosthesis
- Artificial replacement of any part of the body.
- Prosthodontic Retainer
- A part of a fixed partial denture that attaches a pontic to the abutment tooth, implant abutment, or implant.
- Prosthodontist
- A dental specialist whose practice is limited to the restoration of the natural teeth and/or the replacement of missing teeth with artificial substitutes.
- Provider
- A physician (M.D. – Medical Doctor or D.O. – Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine), health care professional or health care facility licensed, certified or accredited as required by state law.
- Provisional
- Formed or preformed for temporary purposes or used over a limited period; a temporary or interim solution; usually refers to a prosthesis or individual tooth restoration.
- Pulp
- Connective tissue that contains blood vessels and nerve tissue which occupies the pulp cavity of a tooth.
- Pulp Cavity
- The space within a tooth which contains the pulp.
- Pulpectomy
- Complete removal of vital and non-vital pulp tissue from the root canal space.
- Pulpitis
- Inflammation of the dental pulp.
- Pulpotomy
- Surgical removal of a portion of the pulp with the aim of maintaining the vitality of the remaining portion by means of an adequate dressing; pulp amputation.