#123 Oralchirurgie: Anatomie erklären – Oral Surgery: Explaining Anatomy

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 anatomy for oral surgeons. So, let’s start! A confident command of oral surgical anatomy — in English — allows the surgeon to describe findings precisely, communicate risks accurately, and document procedures clearly. Wer die oralchirurgische Anatomie — auf Englisch — sicher beherrscht, kann Befunde präzise beschreiben, Risiken verständlich erklären und Eingriffe klar dokumentieren.

00:01:17: The Oral Cavity. The oral cavity extends from the lips in the front to the oropharynx in the back. Its boundaries are the lips and cheeks sideways, the hard and soft palate to the top, and the floor of the mouth to the bottom. The oral cavity is lined by oral mucosa — a mucous membrane — which varies in thickness and keratinization depending on location. Attached gingiva is firmly bound to the underlying bone and does not move. Alveolar mucosa is loosely attached and mobile.

00:02:13: The Teeth and Supporting Structures. Each tooth sits within an alveolar socket — a bony cavity within the alveolar process of the upper jaw or lower jaw. The tooth is attached to the socket by the periodontal ligament — a network of collagen fibers that anchors the root cementum to the alveolar bone. This ligament plays a key role in tooth extraction — understanding it helps explain why teeth can be luxated and delivered from their sockets. The crown is covered by enamel — the hardest substance in the human body. The root is covered by cementum. The junction between the crown and root is called the cementoenamel junction, or CEJ — an important landmark in periodontal and surgical assessments.

00:03:34: How to say this to your patient: "Each of your teeth has two parts — the crown, which is the part you can see above the gum line, and the root, which is the part anchored invisibly in the bone beneath. Some teeth have one root, others have two or three." "Your teeth don't sit rigidly in the bone like a nail in a wall — they are actually suspended in their sockets by thousands of tiny fibers, a bit like a hammock. This is called the periodontal ligament, and it acts as a natural shock absorber when you bite and chew." "The bone that surrounds and supports your teeth is called the alveolar bone — think of it as the foundation of a house. If this bone is lost due to gum disease or infection, the teeth can become loose, in the same way a fence post becomes wobbly when the ground around it erodes." "The gum tissue that hugs your teeth tightly is called the gingiva. Healthy gums are firm, pale pink, and don't bleed when you brush. If they are red, swollen, or bleed easily, that is a sign that something needs attention." "Looking at your X-ray, I can see the roots of this tooth extend close to the floor of the upper jaw sinus. This is something we need to take into account when planning the extraction."

00:05:34: Anatomical Landmarks in the Upper Jaw. The maxillary sinus is an air-filled cavity within the upper jawbone, closely related to the roots of the upper back teeth. Perforation of the sinus floor during extraction or implant placement is a recognized complication. How to say this to your patient: "Your upper jaw is the fixed part of your face — unlike the lower jaw, it doesn't move. It holds your upper teeth and forms the roof of your mouth." "Just above the roots of your upper back teeth, there is an air-filled cavity called the sinus — a bit like a small hollow cave inside the cheekbone. When we work on the upper back teeth, we always need to be mindful of how close the roots are to this space." "The roof of your mouth — what we call the palate — is made up of two parts: the hard bony part at the front, and the softer, more flexible part at the back."

00:07:40: Anatomical Landmarks in the Lower Jaw. In the lower jaw the most important surgical landmark is the inferior alveolar canal, which runs through the body of the lower jaw and contains the inferior alveolar nerve and vessels. The mental foramen — the exit point of the mental nerve — is typically located below and between the first and second premolars and must be identified and protected during lower anterior surgery. The lingual nerve runs in the middle to the third molar in the lower jaw and is at risk during lower wisdom tooth removal. Damage to this nerve can cause temporary or permanent changed sensation of the tongue, floor of the mouth, and lingual gingiva. How to say this to your patient: "Before we proceed with removing your lower wisdom tooth, I want to discuss the anatomy with you." "There are two important nerves in this area — one supplies sensation to your lower teeth and lip, and the other to your tongue." "We will do everything possible to protect them, but there is a small risk of temporary or, very rarely, permanent changed sensation."

00:09:39: The Floor of the Mouth and Tongue. The floor of the mouth is a surgically significant area containing the sublingual gland, the submandibular duct and the lingual nerve. The tongue is a highly muscular organ attached to the floor of the mouth by the lingual frenulum. A tongue-tie is a condition where an unusually short or tight frenulum restricts tongue movement and may require a frenectomy. How to say this to your patient: "The floor of your mouth is the soft tissue underneath your tongue. If you lift your tongue up and look in the mirror, you can see two small openings on either side — these are the outlets for your saliva glands, which produce saliva to help you digest food and keep your mouth moist." "Running through this area are some delicate structures — including the nerve that supplies sensation to your tongue. This is why we take extra care during any procedure in this part of the mouth." "Your tongue is one of the most powerful muscles in your body — it's involved in speaking, chewing, swallowing, and even keeping your teeth clean. It is attached to the floor of the mouth by a small band of tissue underneath called the frenulum — you can feel it if you press your tongue to the roof of your mouth."

00:11:44: A tip from me: Select 2-3 phrases each week and keep practicing these phrases until they feel completely natural.

00:12:01: Here is your overview of the vocabulary of this week’s lesson: to run through – durchlaufen; tight – fest; rigidly – starr; rarely – selten; hollow – hohl; gland – Drüse; anatomic landmark – (anatomische) Leitstruktur; vessels – Gefäße; duct – Kanal, Gang; tongue-tie – zu kurzes Zungenbändchen; perforation – Durchlöcherung; assessment – Beurteilung; hammock – Hängematte.

00:13:10: Das war unsere Lesson für diese Woche. Nächste Woche werfen wir einen Blick auf den Themenbereich der Kieferorthopädie. 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.