In dentistry, a natural tooth or implanted tooth substitute, used for the support or anchorage of a fixed or removable prosthesis.
- auxiliary a. a tooth other than the one supporting the direct retainer, assisting in the overall support of a removable partial denture.
- ball and socket a. an a. connected to a fixed partial denture by a ball and socket-shaped nonrigid connector.
- dovetail stress-broken a. an a. connected to a fixed partial denture by a nonrigid connector that is trapezoidal in cross-section.
- intermediate a. a natural tooth, or an implanted tooth substitute, without other natural teeth in proximal contact, used along with the mesial and distal abutments to support a prosthesis; often called a “pier.”
- isolated a. a lone-standing tooth, or root, used as an a. with edentulous areas mesial and distal to it.
- splinted a. the joining of two or more teeth into a rigid unit by means of fixed restorations to form a single a. with multiple roots.
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abut·ment ə-'bət-mənt n a tooth to which a prosthetic appliance (as a denture) is attached for support
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n.
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abut·ment (ə-butґmənt) 1. that on which or at which abutting occurs. 2. a part of a structure that sustains thrust or pressure. 3. a tooth or root used as an anchorage for either a fixed or a removable dental prosthesis, or any other device serving the same purpose. See also under tooth.Medical dictionary. 2011.