In one of my recent consultations with dental clients, I was shocked to hear a staff member say to a patient on the telephone who asked about scaling and root planing, “I am new here and I do not know what that means.” That reflects so badly on the dentist who should not have such poorly trained staff members answering the telephone.
Attached to this blog is a list of essential vocabulary words and tooth numbers for adult and children’s teeth. Make a plan to make sure that all of your staff members including your front desk personnel know what all of these words mean.
- RELINE DENTURE
- EDENTULOUS
- EXTRACTION
- SIMPLE EXTRACTION
- SURGICAL EXTRACTION
- PERIODIC EXAMINATION
- LIMITED EXAMINATION
- COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION
- CARIES
- CUSP
- AMALGAM
- COMPOSITE
- BRIDGE: ABUTMENT
- BRIDGE: PONTIC
- IMPLANT COPING
- IMPLANT CROWN
- ENDODONTICS/ROOT CANAL
- PULP
- DENTIN
- ANTERIOR TEETH – ONE ROOT
- BICUSPIDS – 2 ROOTS
- MOLARS – 3 OR 4 ROOTS
- PERIODONTICS
- PERIODONTITIS
- SCALING AND ROOT PLANING
- UPPER RIGHT, UPPER LEFT
- LOWER RIGHT, LOWER LEFT
- DEBRIDEMENT
- GINGIVA
- GINGIVITIS
- PROPHYLAXIS
- CALCULUS/TARTAR
- PLAQUE
- UNERUPTED TEETH
- ERUPTED TEETH
- IMPACTED TEETH
- BONY IMPACTED TEETH
- FLUORIDE TREATMENT
- FLUORIDE VARNISH TREATMENT
- SPACE MAINTAINER
- UNILATERAL
- BILATERAL
- SEALANT
- VENEER
- SUTURE
- INTRAORAL
- MAXILLA / MAXILLARY
- MANDIBLE/ MANDIBULAR
- ORTHODONTICS
- MALOCCLUSION