Spanish to Use at the Dentist's Office

Quick Answer

This article will teach you vocabulary and useful phrases in Spanish to use at a consultorio dental(dentist's office).

Questions This Article Answers

What does diente de leche mean?

What does endodoncia mean?

What does corona mean?

What does hilo dental mean?

What does extraer un diente mean?

How do you say wisdom tooth in Spanish?

How do you say gum in Spanish?

How do you say toothache in Spanish?

How do you say braces in Spanish?

How do you say to whiten in Spanish?

Dental Chair 2

These are some of the people you may find at a consultorio dental.

Spanish	English
dentista	dentist
endodoncista	endodontist
higienista dental	dental hygienist
ortodoncista	orthodontist
paciente	patient
prostésico dental, prostésica dental	dental technician
recepcionista	receptionist
secretario, secretaria	secretary
técnico en prótesis dentales, técnica en prótesis dentales	dental technician

examples
Mañana tengo una cita con el dentista a las 9 a.m. I have an appointment at the dentist tomorrow at 9 a.m.
La higienista dental me mostró cómo limpiarme con hilo dental correctamente. The dental hygienist showed me how to floss properly.
El paciente se rompió un diente. The patient broke a tooth.

Let's begin with words related to the boca(mouth).

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
boca	mouth	labio	lip
colmillo	canine	lengua	tongue
dentadura	teeth	mejilla	cheek
diente	tooth	muela	back tooth, molar
diente de leche	milk tooth	muela del juicio	wisdom tooth
encía	gum	paladar	palate
incisivo	incisor	premolar	premolar

examples
¿Qué diente te duele? Which tooth hurts?
Me extrajeron una de las muelas del juicio superiores. I had one of my upper wisdom teeth extracted.
Tienes caries en una muela. There’s a cavity on one of your molars.
También deberías cepillarte la lengua. You should also brush your tongue.

Dentist 1

¿Qué te trae por aquí?(What brings you in today?). Let's see some of the dental problems that may take you to a dentista.

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
afta	mouth sore	dolor de muelas	toothache
afta bucal	mouth ulcer	encía sangrante	bleeding gums
boca seca	dry mouth	gingivitis	gingivitis
bruxismo	bruxism, teeth grinding	halitosis	halitosis
caries	cavity, decay	infección	infection
decoloración dental	tooth discoloration	mal aliento	bad breath
diente flojo	loose tooth	rechinar los dientes	teeth grinding
diente roto	broken tooth	sarro(on a tooth)	plaque, tartar
diente sensible	sensitive tooth	sarro(on the tongue)	fur
dolor	pain	sensibilidad dental	tooth sensitivity

examples
Avísame si sientes dolor. Let me know if you feel any pain.
Tengo dientes sensibles. I have sensitive teeth.
El café y los cigarrillos pueden causar decoloración dental. Coffee and cigarettes may cause tooth discoloration.
En tu próxima cita te quitaré el sarro de los dientes. On your next appointment I will remove the plaque from your teeth.

The dentista may employ some of the following procedures and treatments.

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
aparato	braces	endodoncia	root canal
carilla	veneer	extracción	extraction
corona	crown	fluoruro	fluoride
corrección	correction	implante	implant
dentadura postiza	denture	limpieza	cleaning
drenar un absceso	drain an abscess	prótesis dental	denture
empaste	filling, inlay	puente	bridge

examples
El dentista me ajustó el aparato. The dentist tightened my braces.
Vas a necesitar una corona. You’re going to need a crown.
El diente está listo para el empaste. The tooth is ready for the filling.

To care for your higiene bucal(oral hygiene), you can use the following products.

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
aerosol bucal	mouth spray	cinta dental	dental tape
cepillo de dientes	toothbrush	enjuague bucal	mouthwash
cepillo de dientes eléctrico	electric toothbrush	hilo dental	dental floss
cepillo interdental	interdental brush	pasta de dientes	toothpaste

Dentist 2

Here's a list of useful verbs to use at the consultorio dental.

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
abrir la boca	to open one’s mouth	extraer un diente	to extract a tooth
anestesiar	to give an anesthetic	ir al dentista	to go to the dentist
blanquear	to whiten	limpiar	to clean
cepillarse la lengua	to brush one’s tongue	limpiarse con hilo dental	to floss
cepillarse los dientes	to brush one’s teeth	limpiarse la boca	to wipe one’s mouth
cerrar la boca	to close one’s mouth	morder	to bite
comer	to eat	perforar	to drill
doler	to hurt	romperse	to break
empastar	to fill	sacar la lengua	to stick one’s tongue out
enjuagarse la boca	to rinse one’s mouth	sacar un diente	to pull out a tooth
escupir	to spit	sangrar	to bleed
estar inflamado	to be swollen	tragar	to swallow

examples
¿Con qué frecuencia te cepillas los dientes? How often do you brush your teeth?
Aquí tienes agua. Puedes usarla para enjuagarte la boca. Here's some water. You can use it to rinse your mouth.
Cuando me limpio con hilo dental, me sangran las encías. My gums bleed when I floss.
Te voy a limpiar y blanquear los dientes. I’m going to clean and whiten your teeth.
¿Me podrías anestesiar? No llevo bien el dolor. Could you give me an anesthetic, please? I’m not good with pain.

Dentist 3

Finally, here's a word list with more vocabulary related to the consultorio dental.

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
aliento	breath	consultorio dental	dentist’s office
analgésico	painkiller	dental	dental
anestesia	anesthesia	esmalte	enamel
anestesia general	general anesthesia	higiene bucal	oral hygiene
anestesia local	local anesthesia	luz	light
anestesia total	general anesthesia	nervio	nerve
antibacterial	antibacterial	oral	oral
antisarro	anti-plaque	plan dental	dental plan
blanqueamiento	whitening	procedimiento de colocación de implante	implant procedure
bucal	oral	rayos X	X-rays
chequeo	checkup	saliva	saliva
cita	appointment	salud bucal	oral health
clínica dental	dental clinic	sillón dental	dental chair

examples
Deberías usar pasta de dientes antisarro. You should use anti-plaque toothpaste.
Vine para hacerme el chequeo dental anual. I’m here for my yearly dental checkup.
Es un procedimiento simple que solo requiere anestesia local. It’s a simple procedure that only requires local anesthesia.