#115 Kinderzahnheilkunde: Elterngespräche in der Praxis – Pediatric Dentistry: Communicating with Parents

00:00:03: Sabine Nemec: Herzlich willkommen zu Dental English to go. Ich bin Sabine Nemec und lade Euch ein, mit diesem Podcast Euer Englisch aufzufrischen. Ich möchte Euch zeigen, dass es ganz leicht ist, sich im Praxisalltag auf Englisch zu verständigen. Jede Woche schauen wir uns eine bestimmte Situation in der Zahnarztpraxis an und trainieren/üben die passenden Vokabeln und die richtige Aussprache. So here is your weekly dose of language refresher.

00:00:33: In today’s lesson, we will start a new subject – pediatric dentistry. Specifically on communication with parents and children. Effective communication is after all about connection, not correction. So, let’s start! Good communication is like having a door swing both ways. It allows the dental professionals and the parents to have their input and can get together on what’s best for the child. Gute Kommunikation ist wie eine Tür, die in beide Richtungen schwingt. Sie ermöglicht es den zahnmedizinischen Fachkräften und den Eltern, ihre jeweiligen Sichtweisen einzubringen und gemeinsam herauszufinden, was für das Kind am besten ist. Working with children in the dental chair is a skill in itself — but let's not forget the other important person in the room: the parent.

00:01:47: In this first episode, we focus entirely on the parent. Whether it's a first appointment, a difficult diagnosis, or motivating better habits at home — the way you communicate with parents directly shapes how cooperative and confident they will be as partners in their child's care. We will follow three phases: before the appointment, during the appointment, and after—when the real work of prevention begins.

00:02:28: Phase 1 – Before the Appointment: The conversation often starts even before the child sits in the chair. The dental office can send a short parent information sheet or make a brief welcome call. This is the first opportunity to set expectations and reduce anxiety. Here are some phrases that work well: “Please don't use the words ‘needle’, ‘drill’, or ‘hurt’ before the visit — we use gentler language here and we'll explain everything in our own way.” “It really helps if you tell your child we're going to count their teeth and give them a little polish. Keep it simple and positive.” “If you're anxious yourself, your child will pick that up. A calm, matter-of-fact attitude makes a huge difference.”

00:03:44: Phase 2 – During the Appointment: During treatment, parents can be a tremendous support — or, if they're not guided well, an unintentional source of stress. The dentist’s job is to channel their involvement positively. Dentist: “Mrs. Meyer, it's lovely to meet you both. I'd like to invite you to sit right here where Emma can see you. Your job today is simply to smile and give her a thumbs up — she'll take her cues from you.” Parent: “Of course. She's a bit nervous.” Dentist: “Completely normal for a first visit. We take things very slowly here. Emma, do you know what we call this little mirror? We call it Mrs. Mirror — and her only job is to look, never to touch.” One key technique is to redirect parental questions during treatment. If a parent starts saying ‘Does it hurt?’ mid-procedure, gently intervene: “Let’s let Emma tell us herself when we’re done – she’s doing brilliantly. Emma, give me a thumbs up if you’re okay.”

00:05:59: Here is another example for a dialogue: Dentist: “Hello, Mrs. Turner. I'm Dr. Hansen. It's lovely to meet you and Lena. Is this her very first dental visit?” Parent: “Yes, she just turned three. She's a little nervous, I think.” Dentist: “That's completely normal. We take things at her pace here. Before we start, I'd love to hear a little about Lena's oral hygiene routine at home — does she brush twice a day?” Parent: “We try, but it's quite a battle in the mornings.” Dentist: “I hear that a lot! We'll go over some fun techniques later that might help. Now, let me just take a quick look inside. Nothing scary — just a little tooth-counting expedition.”

00:07:10: Phase 3 – After the Appointment: Motivating at home is where prevention is won or lost. The post-appointment conversation with the parent is the dentist’s most powerful tool. Be specific, positive, and give them a clear, achievable action. Dentist: “Today went really well. I can see one area of early demineralisation on the upper right — nothing alarming, but it tells us we need to be more consistent with brushing before bed. The good news: this is completely reversible at this stage.” Parent: “Should we use a different toothpaste?” Dentist: “A fluoride toothpaste with at least 1.000 ppm is perfect — and the key is not to rinse with water afterwards. Just spit. That way the fluoride stays on the teeth longer. Can you try that for us?”

00:08:35: Close the dialogue with a motivating, non-judgmental summary. Acknowledge what they're doing well before offering suggestions. Parents who feel respected are far more likely to follow through. Here’s an example: “The fact that you brought Emma in today – and that she’s never had a filling – says a lot about the care you take at home.” Further sentences to motivate parents: “I understand that can be tricky.” “You’re not alone in finding this challenging.” “Try brushing together after breakfast – children love copying what their parents do.” “The fact that you're here today shows how much you care about your child’s dental health. Let's build on that together.”

00:09:47: Here is your overview of the vocabulary of this week’s lesson: to rinse – ausspülen; to spit – spucken; to copy – jemanden nachahmen; to take cues from somebody – Hinweise nehmen; tremendous – riesig; non-judgmental – unvoreingenommen; reversible – umkehrbar; challenging – herausfordernd; alarming – beunruhigend; achievable – erreichbar, durchführbar; tricky – knifflig, schwierig; suggestions – Vorschläge; anxiety – Ängstlichkeit, Sorge.

00:11:03: Das war unsere Lesson für diese Woche. Nächste Woche befassen wir uns weiter mit der Kommunikation in der Kinderzahnmedizin. Wenn Ihr noch mehr Dental Englisch trainieren wollt, empfehle ich Euch mein Buch „Dental English“, erschienen im Quintessenz Verlag, oder auch die Fachzeitschrift „Team Journal“ – hier findet Ihr in jeder Ausgabe eine Übung. Vielen Dank fürs Zuhören. Wenn es Euch gefallen hat, dann abonniert diesen Podcast. Es gibt jeden Montag eine neue Folge – überall, wo es Podcasts gibt. Wenn Ihr Fragen habt, dann schreibt auf Instagram oder an podcast@quintessenz.de. Alle Links und Adressen findet ihr auch in den Shownotes. Ich sage: Goodbye and see you next week! Das war Dental English to go mit Sabine Nemec: der Englisch-Podcast für den Praxisalltag – ein Quintessence Podcast.