Dental Insurance Glossary: D

Date of Service
The date that the service was rendered.
Debridement
Removal of subgingival and/or supragingival plaque and calculus which obstructs the ability to perform an evaluation; removal of contused and devitalized tissue from a wound surface.
Decay
The lay term for carious lesions in a tooth; decomposition of tooth structure.
Deciduous
Having the property of falling off or shedding; a name used for the primary teeth.
Deciduous Dentition
Refers to the deciduous or primary teeth in the dental arch.
Deductible
The amount you owe for health care services CareFirst covers before CareFirst begins to pay. For example, if your Deductible is $1000, CareFirst won’t pay anything until you’ve met your $1000 deductible for covered health care services subject to the Deductible. The Deductible may not apply to all services
Definitive Prosthesis
A prosthesis to be used over an extended period of time.
Dental Prophylaxis
Scaling and polishing procedure performed to remove coronal plaque, calculus, and stains.
Dental Prosthesis
Any device or appliance replacing one or more missing teeth and/or, if required, associated structures. (This is a broad term which includes abutment crowns and abutment inlays/onlays, bridge, dentures, obturators, gingival prostheses).
Dentin
That part of the tooth that is beneath enamel and cementum.
Dentition
The teeth in the dental arch.
Denture
An artificial substitute for natural teeth and adjacent tissues.
Denture Base
That part of a denture that makes contact with soft tissue and retains the artificial teeth.
Detailed and Extensive Oral Evaluation
Problem focused, by report. A detailed and extensive problem-focused evaluation entails extensive diagnostic and cognitive modalities based on the findings of a comprehensive oral evaluation. Integration of more extensive diagnostic modalities to develop a treatment plan for a specific problem is required. The condition requiring this type of evaluation should be described and documented. Examples of conditions requiring this type of evaluation may include dentofacial anomalies, complicated perioprosthetic conditions, complex temporomandibular dysfunction, facial pain of unknown origin, severe systemic diseases requiring multi-disciplinary consultation, etc.
Detailed Explanation of Summary
A breakdown of charges to show how benefits were applied.
Diagnostic Cast
Plaster or stone model of teeth and adjoining tissues; also referred to as study model.
Diastema
A space, such as one between two adjacent teeth in the same dental arch.
Direct Pulp Cap
Procedure in which the exposed pulp is covered with a dressing or cement with he aim of maintaining pulp vitality.
Direct Restoration
A restoration fabricated inside the mouth.
Discectomy
Excision of the intra-articular disc of a joint.
Displaced Tooth
A partial evulsion of a tooth – may be mesial, distal, facial, lingual, or incisal.
Distal
Toward the back of the dental arch (or away from the midline).
Dry Socket
Localized inflammation of the tooth socket following extraction due to infection or loss of blood clot; osteitis.