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Dentistry vocabulary · Root Canal Treatment

Apex

Meaning in dentistry, with examples

/ˈeɪpeks/nounCommon term

In dentistry, apex means: The tip of a tooth root, where nerves and blood vessels enter the tooth through a small opening called the apical foramen.

In Turkish: apeks, kök ucu

How it is used

Central in endodontics: dentists measure the working length to the apex with an electronic apex locator and X-rays. The adjective is apical (apical lesion, apical periodontitis). The plural is apices or apexes.

Example sentences

  1. The apex locator reading matches the length on the X-ray.

  2. There's a dark area around the apex of the mesial root.

Common collocations

  • root apex
  • apex locator
  • open apex
  • short of the apex
  • rootThe part of a tooth below the gum that sits in a socket in the jawbone. Front teeth usually have one, while molars often have two or three.
  • root canal treatmentTreatment that removes inflamed or infected pulp from inside a tooth, then cleans, shapes and seals the root canals so that the tooth can be kept.
  • endodontic fileA thin, flexible metal instrument with cutting edges, used by hand or with a motor to clean and shape the inside of root canals.
  • periapical X-rayA small intraoral X-ray that shows one or a few teeth from the crown to the root tip, together with the bone around them.

More terms: Root Canal Treatment

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.