#122 Oralchirurgie: Anästhesie erklären – Oral Surgery: Explaining Anesthesia

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 talk about oral surgery – more precisely about anesthetics. So, let’s start! Anesthesia is often the aspect of dental treatment that patients fear most. The anticipation of pain — the needle, the numbness, the loss of sensation — can be deeply anxiety-provoking. Die Anästhesie ist häufig der Aspekt der zahnärztlichen Behandlung, vor dem Patientinnen und Patienten am meisten Angst haben. Die Erwartung von Schmerzen — durch die Spritze, das Taubheitsgefühl oder den vorübergehenden Verlust der Empfindung – kann große Ängste auslösen.

00:01:29: The surgeon’s ability to explain the process clearly, calmly, and accurately in English is one of the most powerful tools in managing that anxiety. Anesthesia is used to eliminate pain during surgical procedures. There are several types, each with distinct indications. The first and most common is local anesthesia — the injection of an anesthetic agent directly into the tissues near the surgical site. Local anesthesia blocks nerve conduction in a targeted area, rendering it completely numb while the patient remains fully conscious. Patient-friendly phrases: "I'm going to give you a local anesthetic now to numb the area completely." "You might feel a little pressure or a brief sting as the anesthetic goes in, but it will pass within a few seconds." "Once it takes effect, you won't feel any pain — just some pressure and vibration." "Before I give you the injection, I'm going to put some numbing gel on your gum. Just give it a moment to work — it'll make the injection much more comfortable."

00:03:21: The second type is conscious sedation — a pharmacologically induced state of reduced anxiety and awareness in which the patient remains responsive and maintains their own airway. Oral sedation or inhalation sedation, like laughing gas, is commonly used. Patient-friendly phrases: "We can offer you sedation for this procedure, which means you'll be deeply relaxed and may not remember much of the appointment afterwards." "You'll still be awake and able to respond to us, but you won't feel anxious or uncomfortable." "You will need someone to drive you home afterwards."

00:04:25: The third type is general anesthesia — which induces a complete loss of consciousness. It is used for extensive oral and maxillofacial procedures, for highly anxious patients, or for patients who cannot cooperate with treatment under local anesthesia. How can the oral surgeon communicate the effects of anesthesia? Patients need to know what to expect during and after local anesthesia. Here are some helpful phrases: "You'll start to feel the area going numb within about two to three minutes." "You'll feel a tingling sensation first, and then the numbness will set in completely." "The numbness will last for approximately two to three hours after the procedure." "During that time, please be careful not to bite your lip, cheek, or tongue, as you won't be able to feel it." "It's completely normal to feel some pressure and movement during the procedure — that doesn't mean you can feel pain." "If at any point you do feel sharp pain, please raise your left hand and I'll stop immediately." "You are in complete control — just raise your hand at any time and we will stop. There is no rush."

00:06:52: How can the oral surgeon communicate complications? Occasionally, local anesthesia does not work as expected. This is more common in the presence of acute infection. Here is how to explain this to a patient: "Because of the infection in this area, the anesthetic may not work as well as usual — inflammation can make it harder for the numbing agent to take full effect." "If you feel any discomfort, please let me know straight away and I can give you some additional anesthetic." A tip from me: Select 2-3 phrases each week and keep practicing these phrases until they feel completely natural.

00:07:58: Here is your overview of the vocabulary of this week’s lesson: to go numb – taub werden; to respond – auf etwas reagieren, erwidern; to take full effect – seine volle Wirkung entfalten; to induce – etwas einleiten; extensive – umfangreich; brief – kurz, flüchtig; topical anesthesia – Oberflächenanästhesie; numbing agent – Betäubungsmittel; inflammation – Entzündung; rush – Eile; tingling sensation – kribbelndes Gefühl; airway – Atemweg; nerve conduction – Nervenleitung.

00:09:20: Das war unsere Lesson für diese Woche. Nächste Woche setzen wir das Thema Oralchirurgie fort. 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 time! Das war Dental English to go mit Sabine Nemec: der Englisch-Podcast für den Praxisalltag – ein Quintessence Podcast.