Current Project: STRONGER THAN BONE
Status: Queries
I was having a conversation with a co-worker last week about dental jargon. In every profession there is vocabulary specific to that profession that leaves the general public in the dark. Remembering how overwhelmed I was when I delved into this new field, I try to use everyday language while talking with my patients. Many times I've pulled aside a co-worker and whisper "That patient doesn't know what the f%#k you're talking about! Use normal words!"
Sometimes this clicks with co-workers; sometimes it doesn't. I don't believe the patients need to learn our jargon. Other dental professionals believe we need to teach our patients our jargon. I disagree. We see most patients twice a year. They don't need a new set of vocab words for those two days. I agree the patient needs to be educated about their condition, but that doesn't mean they need a vocab list with definitions. I can't count the times I've listened to a patient discuss their treatment with my boss and then turn to me after he leaves the room and ask "What did he say?"
Here are some common dental terms that can be easily replaced with one or two words that would make sense to a layperson. Do you know these words as they apply to dentristy? Have a general idea? Or wonder what the f%#k your dentist is talking about?
1. mesial
2. distal
3. composite
4. amalgam
5. alloy
6. perio or periodontal
7. caries
8. build-up
9. EOB
10. buccal
11. lingual
12. vestibule
13. periapical
Status: Queries
I was having a conversation with a co-worker last week about dental jargon. In every profession there is vocabulary specific to that profession that leaves the general public in the dark. Remembering how overwhelmed I was when I delved into this new field, I try to use everyday language while talking with my patients. Many times I've pulled aside a co-worker and whisper "That patient doesn't know what the f%#k you're talking about! Use normal words!"
Sometimes this clicks with co-workers; sometimes it doesn't. I don't believe the patients need to learn our jargon. Other dental professionals believe we need to teach our patients our jargon. I disagree. We see most patients twice a year. They don't need a new set of vocab words for those two days. I agree the patient needs to be educated about their condition, but that doesn't mean they need a vocab list with definitions. I can't count the times I've listened to a patient discuss their treatment with my boss and then turn to me after he leaves the room and ask "What did he say?"
Here are some common dental terms that can be easily replaced with one or two words that would make sense to a layperson. Do you know these words as they apply to dentristy? Have a general idea? Or wonder what the f%#k your dentist is talking about?
1. mesial
2. distal
3. composite
4. amalgam
5. alloy
6. perio or periodontal
7. caries
8. build-up
9. EOB
10. buccal
11. lingual
12. vestibule
13. periapical
14. diastema
Let me know which terms you would understand if a dentist used them while discussing your teeth. I'll share the results at my next staff meeting to hammer down my point on jargon. I'll post the more common terms a little later.
Let me know which terms you would understand if a dentist used them while discussing your teeth. I'll share the results at my next staff meeting to hammer down my point on jargon. I'll post the more common terms a little later.
20 comments:
This is why I HATE going to the dentist- I swear I've been beamed to outer space when they sit me in an examining chair. It's cold, smells funny, all that equipment swirling around above you, and they tip you back so all the blood rushes to your head, making you dizzy, and your feet turn into icebergs while the rest of your body shivers and turns clammy.
Then they start talking in another language like you aren't even there.
1. mesial - don't know
2. distal - don't know
3. composite - I think it has to do with a filling
4. amalgam - again what they use in a filling
5. alloy - filling
6. perio or periodontal - before dental
7. caries- uh -uh
8. build-up - stuff on your teeth
9. EOB - no clue
10. buccal- I think its a type or locatio nof a tooth
11. lingual - same as above but don't know where located.
12. vestibule - a hole
13. periapical - no clue
14. diastema - no clue
The dentist is not a fun place to visit, and I visit often. It seems so unfair that you have to pay a lot of money to be tortured. I'm getting two old and cracked fillings replaced tomorrow afternoon and am not looking forward to it, though this will be one of my milder visits.
I recognize a few words and don't really care what any of the others mean. The words I pay attention to are the numbers called out as the dentist or hygeinist probes the gum line. I get very happy when I hear 1 and 2, and very concerned when I hear 5. Yikes! Thank goodness I only have a couple of those on the molars on my left side.
When I get my car fixed, I don't ask the mechanic to explain all the parts. I don't care what they're called as long as they get fixed. My brain is clogged with enough useless information as it is.
Oh Kendra, I'm sorry to say this, but I really despise going to the dentist; and not because I have to effing clue what he's talking about, but because it's scary and painful. I have big lungs but a small mouth, hence my loudness but bad when it comes to getting x-rays. My jaw always gets knocked outta place! They need to make little x-ray thingys for people with small mouths! But really, this is not your problem. LOL
Okay, here are my guesses...
1. mesial--something to do with Jesus? Messiah? Mesial?
2. distal-- a thing you make illegal booze in.
3. composite-- things are composed of this. Like mixed together?
4. amalgam-- some sort of gum you chew or is it something you make lots of little words from?
5. alloy-- metal stuff
6. perio or periodontal-- associated with the word "disease"
7. caries-- misspelled word for Carries.
8. build-up-- sexual tension, foreplay
9. EOB-- Extremely Obese Body
10. buccal-- Something to do with Pirates, or maybe it's a part of a belt?
11. lingual-- language, tongue
12. vestibule-- part of a building, like in a church, a hall or something?
13. periapical-- WTF? Not even a guess on this one.
14. diastema-- da stem of a flower?
mesial -- huh?
distakl? - Huh?
composite _ more than one?
amalgam - some kind of merger? Oh, wait, an aluminum company?
alloy - A combination of different metals?
perio or periodontal -- something to with with the mouth?
caries -- cavities?
build-up. Tartar?
EOB - Extra Obnoxious Behavior (by patient or dental professional)?
buccal -- God bless you
lingual - dentist jargon
vestibule - a niche in a church?
periapical -- Now this one I just don't know
diastema - huh?
I would like to point out that whenever I take the Reader's Digest Vocabulary test I score excellent. Just saying.
Kendra, I think you make an excellent point about getting your co-workers to use regular language! Good luck on your crusade.
Becky, LOL, I was writing mine as you were writing yours apparently. It's funny we took some of the same turns!
Yeah Alice, great minds work alike, and all that rot! LOLOLOL
And I agree, Kendra, I hope dentists and dental professionals will get the heads up that we patients need layman's terms, baby! :)
You guys are funny first thing in the morning! Boy, this proves my point! I might need to print these off to show at work.
Becky, they do make smaller films sizes for kids. On some of my adult patients that is what I use. The films don't show as much as I'd like to see, but it beats seeing someone's breakfast end up in their lap.
Oh man am I pissed now! I asked my dental person if she had smaller ones and she said no. The beotch! And, she knows what happens to my jaw when I get those damn x-rays done! I couldn't close my jaw right for weeks the last time I let them take those things! And I was crying and gagging by the time she was done.
After, I asked her how they fit those damn things into children's mouths and she said they usually work just fine. I'm gonna bitch-slap her the next time I go to that office! *fume*
Lol, Becky! Maybe she was already using the smaller size on you!
Bless you, Kendra, for thinking of us "normal" people.
Here are my guesses:
1. mesial and 2. distal--having to do with the location of which teeth they are talking about??
3. composite, 4. amalgam, and 5. alloy are types of fillings, I think.
6. perio or periodontal--having to do with the gums??
7. caries--cavities
8. build-up--the gunk on your teeth??
9. EOB--evolution of bacteria?? not a clue
10. buccal--something to do with where on your teeth they find a problem (like a buccal fracture)??
11. lingual--probably another term that describes where in your mouth a tooth is or a part of the tooth??
12. vestibule--your mouth? isn't a vestibule an opening??
13. periapical and 14. diastema--don't know.
Obviously, I don't have a clue about most of these terms as they fly between the dentist and his assistant. However, I also don't hesitate to ask questions and my dentist and his staff are very good about translating when I need to know.
You are providing a service for the common person, Kendra! Thank you!
And, Becky, perhaps you need to consider looking for a dentist's office that doesn't use torture.
LOL, I'm not even going to try to decipher these.
My hubby is religious about making me go to the dentist. I don't mind it so much, except I hate the lecture from the dental hygienist about flossing. I mean, I seriously hate it. I get it already...stop lecturing me! Perfect check ups apparantly aren't enough for the Nazi at my dentist's office. I think she just likes the POWER of making people feel like crap. (I lie, btw. And I can honestly say I ONLY lie at the dentist's office. ROFLMAO)
You're not like that, right Kendra?????
Yeah well, she told me the manufacturers only make one size to fit all, and I believed her. She's in big trouble the next time I see her! :)
And Genene, ROFLOLOLOLOL, there's NO SUCH THING as a Dentist that doesn't use torture!
Dentists all over the universe are schooled in it. That's why we have to pay so much when we go, to make up for all the student loans they have to pay back for going through medieval torture classes in college.
Answers:
1,2,10,and 11 all refer to tooth surfaces. Every tooth has 5 surfaces. The first is the biting surface called the incisal or occlusal (for molars). Buccal is the surface on the cheek side, lingual is tongue side. Distal is the side farthest away from the midline (think nose) of the mouth and mesial is the side closest to the midline of the mouth.
3. composite-white filling
4,5 Alloy and Amalgam: both terms for silver fillings
6. Perio or periodontal: anything to do with gums. Like gum disease is perio disease.
7. Caries: cavities (hooray Alice!)
8. Build up: A filling placed under a crown when there isn't enough tooth structure to support a crown. We also use the term when referring to the amount of calculus (tarter) on teeth.
9. Estimate of Benfits. That form from the insurance company that tells you how little they'll pay on your dental work. Medical, too.
12.Vestibule: lower area between gums and cheek.
13. Periapical: An x-ray that shows the root tip of the tooth.
14. Diastema: gap between teeth. Think Lauren Hutton.
Elisabeth, I rarely lecture my patients on flossing. Doesn't help.
Genene, I missed your answers somehow. You did real good!
I know some of these, and I'm not going to scroll down to see what others said! :-) so if my answers are stupid, I'm owning them! And if you already put the answers, I'm going to feel like a dork. Oh well, I guess I'll own that as well! Here are my best guesses:
1. mesial: it's a point on the tooth, I think, but can't remember which side/location
2. distal: I know this is a point on a tooth. don't know which side but I bet it's opposite of the mesial one or something
3. composite: type of filling but I don't know what kind.
4. amalgam: those metal fillings
5. alloy: metal (for fillings?)
6. perio/dontal: gums
7. caries: cavities
8. build up: icky stuff? tartar?
9. EOB: no idea
10. buccal: side of tooth near cheek
11. lingual: side of tooth near tongue, pretty sure
12. vestibule: sorry but isn't this a place to put your coat or something in a historical novel? :-)
13. periapical: I don't think this is a real word - it's a ringer to see if we're paying attention :-) LOL
14. diastema: no clue.
This was fun! I could do a test like this for my former career which had a vocabulary of its own and was very challenging because I am non-mechanical.
Michelle
Crud, and of course you'd posted the answers :-) and it turns out that #13 is a real word after all. But hey, I got a couple right, go ROOT WORDS activities from language arts classes!
Michelle
Hi Michelle. I think you win the prize for most correct answers!
Nice to see a new "face" on our blog. I noticed you are local, do you belong to one of the writing chapters around here?
Kendra - I'm in Keizer, and I've been a member of Willamette Writers for a while. I am a big fan of writer blogs and twitter, and I've been reading your MWV-RWA blog for maybe a year or so (not sure!). I just like to read about what others are doing and working on, etc - to help keep me going! I don't really go to any of the meetings at the Blue Pepper or the WW Salem meetings, but I might someday! Thanks for letting me come out of the woodwork every once in a while to comment here!
Michelle
Welcome Michelle! Chat with us anytime. It's nice to know it's not just us hanging around here.
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