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Dental Jargon—into English!

GlossaryDoes it ever seem like everyone you do business with—from the auto mechanic to the attorney to the tax accountant—uses a secret language to describe what you’re paying for?

You’d like to know what they’re talking about, but you’re afraid to ask. Maybe it’s over your head. Maybe they don’t really want you to know.

This “tech talk” may come naturally to them, but it can make the rest of us pretty uncomfortable. It’s as though every specialist has built a Black Box around himself that transforms every question you ask into an answer in a language you can’t understand.

Our practice doesn’t operate that way. For starters, we want you to know—and to understand—everything. We’re committed to simple, straightforward communication, so if you ever catch us using a word or phrase you don’t recognize, please feel free to ask for clarification!

We consider it an important part of our job to keep you informed, as we want our patients to be the most savvy around on the subject of dental health.

Common Dental Terms into Simple English

  • Carious fissure – start of a cavity
  • Gnathic structure – your jaw
  • Xerostomia – dry mouth
  • Malocclusion – bad bite
  • Mandible – lower jaw
  • Maxilla – upper jaw
  • Oral cavity – inside your mouth
  • Gingivitis – beginning gum disease
  • Bruxism – clenching or grinding of teeth

About Yuri Kaneda, DDS

Dr. Yuri Kaneda was born in Japan and immigrated to the US when she was 4 years old with her family. She lived in Ohio, Nebraska, and Illinois before finally settling in the San Diego area. A graduate of Bonita Vista High School, she went on to the University of California Berkeley where she obtained her Bachelors in Microbiology and Immunology. After working for 2 years in growth plate research at University of California San Diego, she went to the University of California San Francisco Dental School for her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. Upon graduation, she returned to San Diego where she worked as an associate in the practice of Drs. Morimoto and Yaryan, her childhood dentist. She then started her own practice in 1995 and has been at her present location since 1999 which happens to be across the street from her high school!

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