Yesterday's weather was truly wild. We had (honestly, all within 5 minutes) clear blue skies, blizzard-like conditions with wind blowing the snow up, down, left, right, forward and back all at the same time and at 30 mph or so, snow pellets known as graupel (very hazardous in snow country since this type of snow makes avalanche dangers high), and large flakes. It was like watching a timelapse film of melting snows in the spring, except it was over a 10 to 20 minute period. The ground would be white, then the sun would come out and it would all melt and then would turn white again all while standing there. (Kids - extra credit points if you can name ten different types of snow.) Today, it is still snowing, but at a much more expected pace and style. Nothing will stick, though, due to the warm temperatures. By Saturday, though, they are forecasting a very warm day (mid 60s) and sun. I think the folks around here are very ready for the spring. Me - not quite yet. :-)
My question yesterday was "Do Germans go to the dentist?" Well, the stereotype is that all of Europe has bad teeth and only go when they have a rotten tooth, but I think that is leftover from many years back when this may have been more true. Today, people are encouraged to regularly see their dentists every six months just like we are; however, according to the World Health Organization, as recently as 1993, Germany had one of the world's highest levels of childhood dental decay for 12 year olds. During this time, there were socialistic medical reforms that shifted the support from dental treatment to dental prevention, but at a high price from earned income - over 14%. Since 2000, Germany has improved significantly. Of course one factor that I cannot understand is the lack of fluoride in the tap water that can have such a dramatic effect on the teeth of children. I am glad we have it in the states, and now I do tend to worry about the lack of it for my children.
So now we know that Germans do go to the dentist, but what about the Spitzers? We actually have a dentist that practices in our building that we have now seen. Both of my sons have seen her, and both times, she spent a good bit of time with the children explaining healthy brushing and eating habits. She did look at the teeth, and she spent a little more time with the kids than the American dentist, but the checking and cleaning process was not quite as thorough in my opinion. When I asked about the fluoride, she prescribed for my children a special once a week paste that they are to apply to their teeth. We have the paste, but we haven't tried it out yet.
Finding hard facts about dentists over here is difficult. I have read many horror stories about the dentists and their lax ways, but then again, people tend to report the problems, not the successes. Fortunately, we have not had a problem so far. From most of the people I've met, their teeth don't look any more unhealthy than the average person in America - just perhaps not quite as white since whiteners have not caught on here. I can say, though, that it is only slightly more expensive to see a dentist here for preventive treatments. Fortunately, insurance has covered this so far. We will cross our fingers that nothing major happens, though. All of my information for emergency dental care suggests that it is very expensive, and even the state and local private insurances don't cover a lot of the costs, which is also like American insurance. And as I had been warned, orthodontia is uncommon and reserved for the more wealthy. Thankfully, when the time comes for that, we will be back in the states.
The words for the day are teeth: die Zähne (tseh neh - for a single tooth, it is der Zahn prounounced tsahn), toothpaste: die Zahnpasta (tsahn pah stah), and dentist: der Zahnarzt or die Zahnärztin (tsahn ahrtst or tsahn airts tin).
The question for the day is "What time is it? Daylight savings strikes again!"
Auf Wiedersehen,
Frau Spitzer
