Do Dentists Really Understand Us When We Talk To Them?
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
August 13, 2007 10:27pm CST
Okay...here's another discussion I think was inspired by Transdisc since he has a discussion about brushing teeth and talking at the same time. So it got me thinking.
When one is at a dentist, and you have that tube in your mouth that gushes water, or the dentist is drilling, sometimes the dentist while be talking to you or asking things in general...and you're trying to reply in some kind of coherent manner, but of course since you have all that parenphenalia in your mouth, how the heck does he understand what you're saying to him/her? Are they just asking questions or talking to be polite and they can't understand one word you're saying, or do you think from years and years of "serious" training that the dentist actually DOES understand?
So what's your viewpoint of this...in your opinion can or can't the dentist understand us when were talking with all that stuff jammed in our mouths?
12 people like this
22 responses
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
14 Aug 07
Sure they can understand, pyewacket. They learn how along with their dental training. Because, after all, most of the words they will hear are going to be cuss words os something like "Ouch!"
5 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
14 Aug 07
My, my are we being naughty worldwise...have you actually cussed out your dentist? LOL
5 people like this
@susieq223 (3742)
• United States
19 Aug 07
I had to laugh at that comment with that avatar of the smiling cat!!
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45475)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
14 Aug 07
I inadvertently bit one once...
4 people like this
@MimutRice (15)
• United States
14 Aug 07
I used to work in a dental office and the dentists i worked for actually understood what the patients were saying. It took me a bit to catch on, but after a month or so, I started being able to understand them too. Guess its like learning another language or something *shrug*
5 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
14 Aug 07
I guess it is like understanding another language...that's a good point
4 people like this
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
17 Aug 07
This is something I can’t stand- is when they talk to you and they have their fingers in your mouth- Come on- how am I supposed to answer- I usually don’t – I wait until they take their fingers or tools out and then answer- I can’t imagine they can understand- but you know they do when they respond to your answer and it makes sense.
4 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Aug 07
Ewww...their fingers in one's mouth..yes, a bit gross if you ask me....LOL
3 people like this
@liranlgo (5752)
• Israel
14 Aug 07
I do no know about dentists but i do know about my dentist.
He does understan what i am telling him during the treatment, and that is because he makes sure that we understand each other by sign language before he starts treating me.
And that is professional.
It is very clear that you should tell the dentist what you want or how you are going to tell him how you feel before he starts the treatment, and not feel like not being understood during it.
@susieq223 (3742)
• United States
17 Aug 07
Good question and I don't have a good answer. I do, however, have a joke.
A family was dining out and the teenage son had his mouth full of French fries and muttered something. His mother said, "What?" so he muttered again. Then she said "I can't understand you with your mouth full!"
The guy at the next table over leaned over and said "He said 'Pass the catsup.'"
The woman looked at the man and said "How on earth did you figure that out?"
"I'm a dentist."
3 people like this
@kgwat70 (13388)
• United States
17 Aug 07
My dentist does not have a problem understanding me since she was my babysitter when I was a child. If she could understand me as a child, she can understand me in the office with devices in my mouth. :-) If I have something to say, they take the device out of my mouth so I can speak.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
17 Aug 07
That's funny--that's another thing....how do mom's in general or babysitter understand the mumbling of kids when they're very young?
2 people like this
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
16 Aug 07
Mine does sometimes. Other times he stops what he's doing and takes the stuff out of my mouth to for me to repeat what I said LOL. Then he apologizes for trying to talk to me knowing I can't properly answer LOL. When he does understand me he repeats what I said to so I can confirm it.
But I think after a long time they do get to understand people when they've got all that in their mouths.
I also think they do talk to you because most silences are uncomfortable. I like it when they talk me through the proceeders and tell me what the instruments are. That goes with all doctors though.
2 people like this
@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
10 Sep 07
i come from the view point of someone with a toddler that babbles lol. i think that they really do understand. when my daughter talks sometimes i'm the only one who knows what she says. i spend all day with her so i've learned to interpret what she says. i would assume it works the same way with dentists. they spend all day listening to people talk with stuff in their mouths, eventually they learn to pick up the lingo.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
10 Sep 07
That's a great analogy....I for the life of me can't understand very young children babbling on but their moms seem to LOL
1 person likes this
@felixrajan1988 (68)
• India
14 Aug 07
ive once been treated by dentist and wat i found that was he understood everytime i gave a reply and often used to give counter replys....so i guess he sure did understand me..even wen i was speaking with anaesthetic injected..
2 people like this
@jazgottt (1180)
• Poland
10 Sep 07
I'm not sure if they understand us, but it could be possible. After years of practice they could learn this language of full mouth speach hehe
I like when dentists talk about what they are doing with my teeth. When they are telling me the story of their life or at least some interesting moments from their life I also can stand it. But I feel very uncomfortable, when they ask me question. Once a dentist was asking me a lot of questions and I was unable to mumble even. First time the dentist said "OK-I won't ask you about it now, we will talk about it later", when she realized that I won't answer her question at that moment. But, unfortunately, she didn't stop asking me new questions. She is a good dentist, but this habit of asking a lot of questions is really bad.
1 person likes this
@jazgottt (1180)
• Poland
10 Sep 07
hi Pyewacket. Too many your own discussions started - You have an excuse at least hehe I have only few discussions and they have not many responses. I am lazy and I admit it hehe
Believe me, this dentist was really too talkative. I don't like even going to a hair dresser or to a cosmetician, because they love to talk all the time. I love to talk with my friends, but not with hair dresser or a cosmetician. Doctors seem to be more concentrated and less talkative but this dentist was an except...
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
10 Sep 07
Hi there jazgottt...I'm so behind in answering back to people..you're not the only one....LOL---I have so many discussions I started to respond to that I'm way, way behind...does anyone ever get caught up?
Yes, it's nice when a dentist is telling us what's going on in their lives or what they are going to do with our teeth for that appointment, but gee, that must be annoying to have a dentist ask questions then say, we'll talk about it later, but then only ask more questions!!
1 person likes this
@chaitanyamaddula (111)
• India
14 Aug 07
i thin k they understand us . my dentist when i take appointment calls me in sees the condition and saya come next month . i'm gettting tired of this .i am taking clips treatment. nearly 10 months r over ..........
@sumofalltears (3988)
• United States
14 Aug 07
I have to assume that the dentist is making small talk to distract you from any sort of discomfort you may be feeling. Maybe after a few years he can guess about some of the things you are saying, or rather trying to say. For the most part I took that time to tell him what I think of dentists in general, and if he understood then he was still nice to me...:}.
3 people like this
@LavenderPower (274)
• United States
11 Nov 07
I like this answer...I work for a dentist...I would think your proabbly right about it being a distraction. And if you told him what I think you told him about what you think about dentist,and he was still nice, then They probably don't understand us. LOL
@tigerdragon (4297)
• Philippines
14 Aug 07
lol! dentists don't have formal training in understanding garbled messages said by their patients while having that tube in your mouth.the answer is yes. for the past how many years that they have been doing it, they can now understand what you are trying to say just like trying to understand how a baby talks.Most dentist do this for several reasons first to get your confidence .so, it doesn't really matter what you say.secondly, to calm you down and make you relax because most patients are afraid of the dentist.third is to get some information from you so that when you come back , you guys have something to talk to, or when he sees you on the streets he can ask you "how's your sick cat?". Overall, its patient public relations under the course subject of clinical mangement.Fyi, i studied dentistry.
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
16 Aug 07
Yes I know that my dentist knows what I am saying when he asks me questions. Just like nurses can understand patients when they ask them questions while taking their temp, espically if it is rectally. LOL
I am sorry that answer if for our frined transdisc. LOL
