Right before I left to spend Christmas in Texas, my tooth started hurting. I decided I would wait until I returned to Germany to go to the dentist because (a) nobody wants to go to the dentist during vacation and (b) I have insurance in Germany. I tried to contact my dentist when I returned, but I was having trouble getting anyone on the phone, so I went to his office, and NO ONE WAS THERE. The practice was gone. There was even a fern blocking the stairs. Apparently, he and the other dentist had a falling out, and they both left the building.
Now, it is not difficult to find a good dentist here, but finding a good dentist that I feel comfortable with
and who speaks English takes time. I already had pain; therefore, no time. A good friend told me she really liked her dentist; she knew he had spent some time studying in the U.S. and his office is a three-minute walk from my apartment! I quickly made an appointment, and soon I was on my way to the dentist's office.
I had never been so happy to go to the dentist! I was confused, though, when a female dentist came in and introduced herself--in German. I was sure Karen had told me her dentist was a "he". It's okay, I thought; soon enough, she will notice that I am struggling in German and will speak to me in English. Nope. Didn't happen. I still have a hard time believing that this dentist didn't speak any English when nearly everyone around here speaks to me in my native tongue after 30 seconds of hearing my German, but she never did, despite my obvious limitations.
I was completely unprepared. Had I known I would be seeing the English-speaking dentist's colleague, I would have studied some dental vocabulary, or I might just have looked for a different dentist. I liked her, though. I thought she was good, and her name was appropriate--
Dr.
Zahn. So, I was ready the next time. I looked online for a English-German dental vocabulary list, but none I found seemed to include everything I wanted. So, I made my own list, and when I was getting a
Füllung, I concentrated on the words the dentist was saying in order to keep from focusing on what she was doing. I am hoping no one will need a list of dental vocabulary, but in case you do, here is mine:
A
das Amalgam - (metal) filling
ausspülen -- rinse
B
beissen -- bite
E
empfindlich -- sensitive
F
die Füllung -- filling; they can be
aus Metall (metal) or
aus Keramik (ceramic)
K
die Karies -- cavity
kauen -- chew
knirschen -- grit your teeth
die Krankenkasse -- insurance
die Krone -- crown
R
das Röntgen/Röntgenbild -- X-ray
S
die Schiene -- night guard (for those who grind their teeth)
der Schmerz/die Schmerzen -- pain
die Spritze -- shot/injection
T
taub -- numb
tief -- deep
W
die Wurzelbehandlung -- root canal
Z
der Zahn -- tooth
das Zahnfleisch -- gums
das Zahnweh -- toothache
Phrases:
den Kopf zu mir drehen -- turn your head toward me
durch die Nase atmen -- breathe through your nose (I'm not sure why, but that one really stuck in my head).
She also used a bunch of other verbs that are not specific to the dentist office, like
öffnen (open),
schliessen (close),
sich kümmern um (to take care of), and
betreuen (to look after). As you can probably tell, I had some time to think about it while I was there! Do you know of any others I should add to the list?
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