Back in 2008, I was fortunate enough to spend about 2 weeks with two of my sons, Jordan and Jason, in Taiwan. My oldest son, Jordan, lived there for nearly 2 years, so he is fluent in Mandarin–the language of Taiwan and mainland China. It was an amazing adventure. I took lots of pictures. You can see them here and here. He took us to places that only the local residents know about. We immersed ourself in the culture as much as possible.
Because the Mandarin language and “alphabet” are so different than English, Jordan had to translate everything. From conversations with the local people to signs, everything was, indeed, foreign to Jason and me. Occasionally we would come across a college aged person who enjoyed practicing their English, but for the most part, Jordan was our only tie between the Taiwanese culture and us. If we needed to know anything, we asked Jordan. He graciously kept us informed of what was going on. He even helped us to be able to recognize an occasional word on a sign. He was amazing! I look forward to my next trip to Asia!
Recently, I overheard something in the office that made me reflect on that trip. One of my team members said something like this, “I am going to place this topical so we can give you LA and do that prep. Afterwards we will take an impression and cement a temp on that tooth.” To all my friends in the dental world that sentence makes perfect sense. To most of you it may as well be Mandarin!
In the medical/dental world, we speak a special language that has it roots in Latin. We don’t speak this language to hide anything from you; we do it so we can have some consistency in the medical/dental world. Consistency is critical when communicating with other healthcare providers. It allows all your providers to be “on the same page” when giving you the care you need and desire.
When you seek dental care at the office of Albert Mendez DDS PA or any medical office and you ever have a question about what is being said or done on your behalf, please speak up. If you don’t understand what is happening, ask. We don’t want you to feel like a stranger in a strange land. We are here to serve you and help you have great dental health. If you have any dental questions or concerns, call us at (620) 231-6070. You can also find us on facebook, twitter, or visit us on our website, www.pittsburgkansasdentist.com.