bite plate

1 6.3

A small removable piece of plastic that fits on the roof of the mouth to help the teeth or jaw

noun
/baɪt pleɪt/

Specialized

: placa de mordida

After the treatment, he was instructed to wear a bite plate for several weeks.

Examples

You got a bite plate.

Fiction book (1993)
She had forgotten all about her bite plate.

Fiction book (1993)
She was so busy exploring the bite plate with her tongue that she didn't hear Josh when he ran up behind her.

Fiction book (1993)
The dentist explained that a bite plate can help identify jaw alignment issues.
To alleviate discomfort, the orthodontist suggested using a bite plate during sleep.

Synonyms

biteplate

vsbite plate

Specialized

1 9.5

A removable plate that sits on the roof of the mouth to help treat or find dental problems

has identical meaning but written as two separate words

baseplate

vsbite plate

Specialized

7.7

A thin wax or plastic plate dentists use to hold fake teeth and record jaw position

is used for diagnosis or therapy on the palate rather than for denture construction

Surface Forms

bite plate singular

bite plates plural

Morphology

bite + plate

The compound literally combines 'bite' (relating to the teeth/occlusion) and 'plate' (a flat object), so learners can infer it refers to a plate-like object associated with the mouth or teeth. However the exact clinical sense — a removable palatal appliance used for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes — is technical and not fully predictable from everyday senses of the constituents, making the term only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The noun bite plate is a small dental plate that you bite on inside the mouth; it sits on the roof of the mouth and holds the jaw and teeth in a safer position. That's why a bite plate is used to 'reduce teeth grinding' and to 'help jaw alignment'.