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Dental Insurance Glossary
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- Maintenance, Periodontal
- Therapy for preserving the state of health of the periodontium.
- Malar
- Pertaining to the cheek bone; see zygomatic bone.
- Malignant
- Having the properties of dysplasia, invasion, and metastasis.
- Malocclusion
- Improper alignment of biting or chewing surfaces of upper and lower teeth.
- Mandibular Canal
- The passage which transmits vessels and nerves through the jaw to branches that distribute them to the teeth.
- Maryland Bridge
- Fixed partial denture feature conservative retainers which are resin bonded to abutments; see code D6545.
- Maxilla
- The upper jaw.
- Medicare Payment
- The amount Medicare Part A or Medicare Part B paid for covered health care service charges.
- Mesial
- Toward the midline of the dental arch; opposite of distal.
- Metals, Classification of
- The noble metal classification system has been adopted as a more precise method of reporting various alloys used in dentistry. The alloys are defined on the basis of the percentage of noble metal content: high noble – Gold (Au), Palladium (Pd), and/or Platinum (Pt) = 60% (with at least 40% Au); noble – Gold (Au), Palladium (Pd), and/or Platinum (Pt) = 25%; and predominantly base – Gold (Au), Palladium (Pd), and/or Platinum < 25%.
- Molar
- Teeth posterior to the premolars (bicuspids) on either side of the jaw; grinding teeth, having large crowns and broad chewing surfaces.
- Moulage
- A positive reproduction of a body part formed on a cast from a negative impression.
- Mucous Membrane
- Lining of the oral cavity as well as other canals and cavities of the body; also called "mucosa."