At the dentist in Spanish: booking, saying which tooth hurts, and what the treatments are called in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
At the dentist you have to say which tooth, how long it has hurt and what kind of pain it is, and then follow instructions in Spanish with your mouth open. Below is what you say to book and describe the problem, the names of the treatments, the commands you will hear from the chair, and how you pay in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina.
Booking
The word for an appointment is the first thing that changes.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The appointment | una cita | una cita | una cita | un turno |
| Asking for one | Quiero hacer una cita. | Quería pedir cita. | Necesito una cita, por favor. | Quería sacar un turno. |
| The dentist | el dentista | el dentista | el odontólogo or el dentista | el odontólogo or el dentista |
| The practice | el consultorio dental | la clínica dental | el consultorio | el consultorio |
Ask for la odontóloga or la dentista if the dentist is a woman. In Colombia and Argentina odontólogo is the ordinary word people use about their own dentist, and it is what is written on the door. In Spain people say dentista and almost never odontólogo out loud.
The imperfect quería is the polite form on the phone in Spain and Argentina.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| It’s urgent | Es urgente. | |
| I’m in a lot of pain | Tengo mucho dolor. | The sentence that gets you seen today |
| Do you have anything today? | ¿Tiene algo para hoy? | |
| The soonest you have | Lo más pronto posible. | |
| First thing in the morning | A primera hora. | |
| In the afternoon | Por la tarde. / A la tarde. (Argentina) | |
| I’m a new patient | Es la primera vez que vengo. | |
| I’m only here for a week | Estoy de viaje, me voy el domingo. | Useful; it changes what they propose |
| Do you take walk-ins? | ¿Atienden sin cita? / ¿Atienden sin turno? (Argentina) | |
| I need to cancel | Necesito cancelar la cita. | |
| Can I move it? | ¿Puedo cambiar la cita para otro día? |
Saying what is wrong
You need two patterns for most of it. Me duele for pain, tengo for a condition or a thing in your mouth.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A tooth hurts | Me duele una muela. | Muela is a back tooth, and it is what people say |
| A front tooth hurts | Me duele un diente de adelante. | |
| It has hurt for three days | Me duele desde hace tres días. | |
| It hurts all the time | Me duele todo el tiempo. | |
| It only hurts when I bite | Solo me duele cuando muerdo. | |
| It hurts with cold | Me duele con el frío. | |
| It hurts with hot | Me duele con lo caliente. | |
| It hurts with sweet things | Me duele con lo dulce. | |
| I have sensitivity | Tengo sensibilidad. | The word the dentist will use back |
| A throbbing pain | Un dolor punzante. | |
| A dull ache | Un dolor sordo. | |
| It’s swollen | Lo tengo inflamado. / Tengo la cara hinchada. | |
| My gums bleed | Me sangran las encías. | |
| My gum hurts | Me duele la encía. | |
| I have a cavity | Tengo una caries. | Caries is singular and plural |
| A filling fell out | Se me cayó un empaste. (Spain) / Se me cayó una calza. (Colombia) / Se me cayó una tapadura. (Mexico) / Se me salió un arreglo. (Argentina) | Empaste is understood everywhere |
| A tooth broke | Se me rompió un diente. / Se me quebró una muela. | Quebrar is the common verb in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina |
| I chipped it | Se me astilló. | |
| The crown came off | Se me cayó la corona. | |
| I lost a tooth | Se me cayó un diente. | |
| I grind my teeth | Aprieto los dientes. / Rechino los dientes. | At night: por la noche |
| My jaw hurts | Me duele la mandíbula. | |
| I have bad breath | Tengo mal aliento. | |
| I’m afraid of the dentist | Le tengo mucho miedo al dentista. | Say it; they slow down |
Copy the se me in se me cayó un empaste whole. It is how you report an accident in the mouth in Spanish, and you use it the same way with romperse, salirse and caerse.
Pointing to the right tooth
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| This one | Esta. / Este. | Muela is feminine, diente is masculine |
| Up here | Arriba. | |
| Down here | Abajo. | |
| On the right | A la derecha. | Your right; say mi derecha if you want to be sure |
| At the back | La de atrás. / La última. | |
| The one next to it | La de al lado. | |
| A molar | una muela | |
| A front tooth | un diente de adelante | |
| A canine | un colmillo | |
| A wisdom tooth | una muela del juicio | Same in all four countries |
| A baby tooth | un diente de leche | |
| Gum | la encía | |
| Nerve | el nervio | |
| Root | la raíz | |
| Jaw | la mandíbula | |
| Bite | la mordida | Mexico, Colombia, Argentina say la mordida; Spain also says la oclusión on the report |
Careful with mordida in Mexico outside the clinic. A mordida in Mexican street Spanish is also a bribe.
The treatments
| You want | Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A cleaning | una limpieza | una limpieza or una limpieza bucal | una limpieza | una limpieza |
| A filling | una resina or una tapadura | un empaste | una calza | un arreglo or una obturación |
| A crown | una corona | una funda or una corona | una corona | una corona |
| An extraction | una extracción | una extracción | una extracción | una extracción |
| A root canal | un tratamiento de conducto | una endodoncia | un tratamiento de conducto | un tratamiento de conducto |
| Braces | brackets | aparato or brackets | brackets | brackets |
| Orthodontics | ortodoncia | ortodoncia | ortodoncia | ortodoncia |
| An X-ray | una radiografía | una radiografía | una radiografía | una placa or una radiografía |
| An implant | un implante | un implante | un implante | un implante |
| Whitening | un blanqueamiento | un blanqueamiento | un blanqueamiento | un blanqueamiento |
Some notes on that table.
Brackets is pronounced bráquets and is often written that way. It means the metal pieces; the whole treatment is ortodoncia. In Spain a child lleva aparato, wears braces, and brackets is used as well, mostly by younger speakers.
Endodoncia is the technical name for a root canal and is understood by any dentist in the four countries. It is the everyday word only in Spain. In Mexico, Colombia and Argentina people say tratamiento de conducto, or just un conducto.
Placa has two meanings in Argentina. Una placa at the dentist is an X-ray, and la placa is also the film on your teeth. You tell which from the context, and if you want to be sure, say una radiografía.
Sarro is tartar, everywhere. Me van a quitar el sarro, they are going to take the tartar off.
Useful sentences around the treatment:
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Do I need a filling? | ¿Necesito un empaste? | Swap in the local word above |
| Can it be saved? | ¿Se puede salvar? | |
| Do you have to take it out? | ¿Hay que sacarla? | Sacar una muela is to pull a tooth |
| How many visits? | ¿Cuántas citas son? / ¿Cuántas sesiones? | |
| How long will it take? | ¿Cuánto tiempo dura? | |
| Can you do it today? | ¿Lo puede hacer hoy? | |
| Can you do a temporary one? | ¿Me puede poner algo provisional? | For a trip; provisorio in Argentina |
| What are the options? | ¿Qué opciones hay? |
Anaesthetic, and the pain while you are in the chair
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| With anaesthetic, please | Con anestesia, por favor. | |
| Can you give me more? | ¿Me puede poner más anestesia? | |
| I can still feel it | Todavía lo siento. | |
| It hurts | Me duele. | Or raise your hand |
| Stop a second | Pare un momento. | Pará un momento with vos in Argentina |
| I need to rinse | Necesito enjuagarme. | |
| I can’t breathe well | No puedo respirar bien. | |
| My mouth is numb | Tengo la boca dormida. | |
| How long until it wears off? | ¿Cuánto tarda en pasarse la anestesia? | |
| I’m allergic to | Soy alérgico a… / Soy alérgica a… | Ending matches the speaker |
Dentists in all four countries will ask you to raise your hand if it hurts: levante la mano si le duele. Doing it is normal and expected.
What the dentist says
Almost all of it is usted commands, even in Argentina and Spain, where the dentist may switch to tú or vos for conversation and back to usted for the instruction.
| You will hear | It means |
|---|---|
| Abra la boca. / Abra bien grande. | Open your mouth. Open wide |
| Cierre. / Muerda. | Close. Bite |
| Muerda aquí y no se mueva. | Bite here and don’t move |
| Gire la cabeza hacia mí. | Turn your head towards me |
| Enjuáguese y escupa. | Rinse and spit |
| Avíseme si le duele. | Tell me if it hurts |
| Levante la mano. | Raise your hand |
| Va a sentir un pinchazo. | You’ll feel a prick |
| Le voy a poner anestesia. | I’m going to give you the anaesthetic |
| Esto no duele, solo molesta. | This doesn’t hurt, it’s just uncomfortable |
| Vamos a hacerle una radiografía. | We’re going to take an X-ray |
| Tiene una caries profunda. | You have a deep cavity |
| Hay que hacer conducto. | You need a root canal |
| Está muy dañada. | It’s badly damaged |
| No coma nada duro hoy. | Don’t eat anything hard today |
| No enjuague hoy. | Don’t rinse today |
| Espere dos horas para comer. | Wait two hours before eating |
| Si le duele, tome un ibuprofeno. | If it hurts, take an ibuprofen |
| Le doy cita de control en una semana. | I’ll give you a check-up in a week |
Paying and insurance
Dentistry is largely private in all four countries, and the public systems cover very little of it for adults.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your cover | el seguro (private), el IMSS (public) | el seguro dental, la mutua | la EPS, la prepagada | la obra social, la prepaga |
| The paperwork | la factura | la factura | la autorización, el copago | el bono, la orden |
| Asking | ¿Aceptan mi seguro? | ¿Trabajan con mi seguro? | ¿Atienden por EPS? | ¿Atienden por obra social? |
| Instalments | ¿Hay meses sin intereses? | ¿Se puede pagar a plazos? | ¿Puedo pagar en cuotas? | ¿Puedo pagar en cuotas? |
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? | |
| How much is the whole treatment? | ¿Cuánto sale todo el tratamiento? | Salir for cost is normal in Argentina and common everywhere |
| Can you give me a quote? | ¿Me puede dar un presupuesto? | A written estimate; ask before treatment starts |
| Does that include the X-ray? | ¿Incluye la radiografía? | |
| Can I pay by card? | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? | |
| I need a receipt | Necesito factura. | Say it before paying; it is issued at the moment of payment |
| Is the first visit free? | ¿La primera consulta es gratis? | Common in Mexican and Colombian clinics |
In Mexico, meses sin intereses is an ordinary way to pay for dental work on a credit card, and clinics advertise it. In Colombia the EPS covers a basic cleaning and simple fillings and sends you to a contracted clinic; anything cosmetic is private. In Argentina the obra social usually covers cleanings, fillings and extractions at contracted practices, and you may need to take a bono or orden with you. In Spain adult dentistry is private for almost everything, and prices are quoted per treatment, so the presupuesto is the document that matters.
After
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| When do I come back? | ¿Cuándo vuelvo? | |
| Do I need another appointment? | ¿Necesito otra cita? | |
| Can I eat normally? | ¿Puedo comer normal? | |
| How long do I wait to eat? | ¿Cuánto espero para comer? | |
| Do I need antibiotics? | ¿Necesito antibiótico? | |
| It still hurts two days later | Me sigue doliendo, ya van dos días. | |
| Are there stitches? | ¿Tiene puntos? | |
| When do the stitches come out? | ¿Cuándo me quitan los puntos? | |
| It’s bleeding a lot | Está sangrando mucho. |
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Quería pedir cita, tengo mucho dolor. I’d like an appointment, I’m in a lot of pain. (Spain)
- Quería sacar un turno con el odontólogo. I’d like an appointment with the dentist. (Argentina)
- Me duele una muela de abajo, a la derecha, la de atrás. A bottom tooth on the right hurts, the back one.
- Solo me duele cuando muerdo o con el frío. It only hurts when I bite or with cold things.
- Se me cayó un empaste ayer. A filling fell out yesterday.
- ¿Se puede salvar o hay que sacarla? Can it be saved or does it have to come out?
- Con anestesia, por favor. Todavía lo siento. With anaesthetic, please. I can still feel it.
- ¿Me puede dar un presupuesto antes de empezar? Can you give me a quote before we start?
- ¿Atienden por obra social? Do you take my health cover? (Argentina)
- ¿Cuándo vuelvo para el control? When do I come back for the check-up?
Questions people ask
Is it “diente” or “muela”? Diente is any tooth and the general word. Muela is a back tooth, a molar or premolar, and it is what people say when one of those hurts. Me duele una muela is the most common sentence in a dental waiting room.
What is the word for a filling? Empaste in Spain, calza in Colombia, tapadura or resina in Mexico, arreglo or obturación in Argentina. Dentists everywhere understand empaste, so use it if the local word escapes you.
How do I say a root canal? Tratamiento de conducto in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, endodoncia in Spain.
What are braces called? Brackets, pronounced bráquets, in all four, and aparato as well in Spain. The treatment as a whole is ortodoncia.
Do I use tú or usted with the dentist? Start with usted everywhere. Spanish dentists and younger Argentine ones often move to tú or vos quickly; follow them. In Colombia stay with usted, including with the receptionist.
Can I just walk in? In Mexico and Colombia, small clinics often see you the same day, and ¿atienden sin cita? is a normal question. In Spain and Argentina you almost always need an appointment, though an emergency with visible swelling is treated as one.
Is dental work covered by public health? Very little of it for adults. Colombia’s EPS and Argentina’s obra social cover a basic cleaning and simple treatment at contracted clinics, and the rest is private in all four.
What do I say if I am afraid? Le tengo mucho miedo al dentista, ¿me puede ir avisando lo que va a hacer? I’m very afraid of the dentist, can you tell me what you’re about to do. It is a normal thing to say, and the dentist will slow down.
Practise these words
diente, muela, encía, doler, morder, caries, empaste, corona, sacar, anestesia, cita, turno, presupuesto. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.