At the Dentist
Dental care and dentist visit vocabulary
20 wordsEnglish (United States)
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Topic
- Health
/ˈdɛntɪst/
a medical professional who diagnoses and treats problems affecting the teeth, gums, and mouth
noun
Examples
- I have an appointment with the dentist to get my teeth cleaned.
- The dentist recommended that she have her wisdom teeth removed.
/ˈtuːθeɪk/
pain in or around a tooth, often caused by decay, infection, or injury
noun
Examples
- He could barely sleep because of the toothache that had been bothering him all day.
- A toothache is often a sign that you need to visit a dentist as soon as possible.
/ˈkævɪti/
a hole or hollow space in a tooth caused by decay
noun
Examples
- The dentist found a cavity in one of her molars during the checkup.
- Brushing your teeth twice a day helps prevent cavities from forming.
/ˈfɪlɪŋ/
a material used by a dentist to fill a cavity in a tooth after removing decayed tissue
noun
Examples
- She had a gold filling placed in her back molar to restore the decayed tooth.
- The dentist said the old filling had cracked and would need to be replaced.
a mixture of food used as the inside layer of a pie, sandwich, cake, or pastry
noun
Examples
- The pie had a rich apple and cinnamon filling inside a buttery crust.
- She spread a thick cream cheese filling between the two layers of the cake.
/kɹaʊn/
a circular ornamental headdress worn by a monarch as a symbol of authority
noun
Examples
- The queen wore a golden crown.
- He was next in line for the crown.
a cap-shaped dental restoration placed over a damaged tooth
noun
Examples
- The dentist recommended a porcelain crown to protect the cracked tooth.
- Getting a crown usually requires two visits to the dental office.
/ˈbreɪsɪz/
orthodontic devices made of brackets and wires attached to teeth to gradually correct their alignment
noun
Examples
- She got braces at age twelve and wore them for two years.
- His braces finally came off last month, and his smile looks great.
/flɒs/
a thin thread used to clean between the teeth by scraping plaque and food debris from the gaps
noun
Examples
- The dentist reminded her to use floss at least once a day.
- He keeps a roll of floss in his travel bag alongside his toothbrush.
to clean between the teeth using dental floss
verb
Examples
- She flosses every night before going to bed.
- The hygienist asked whether he flosses regularly or only before dental appointments.
/ˈmaʊθwɒʃ/
a liquid antiseptic solution used to rinse the mouth in order to freshen breath and reduce bacteria
noun
Examples
- She gargled with mouthwash after brushing her teeth each morning.
- The dentist recommended an antibacterial mouthwash to help with his gum inflammation.
/ɡʌmz/
the firm, pink tissue that surrounds the base of the teeth and covers the jaw bones inside the mouth
noun
Examples
- Her gums were bleeding slightly when she brushed too hard.
- Healthy gums are firm and pale pink, not swollen or red.
/ˈwɪzdəm tuːθ/
one of the four large molars at the very back of the mouth, typically emerging in early adulthood and often removed if they cause crowding or pain
noun
Examples
- Her wisdom tooth came in crooked and had to be extracted by an oral surgeon.
- He was in pain all week because his wisdom tooth was impacted.
/ruːt kəˈnæl/
a dental procedure in which infected or damaged pulp is removed from the interior of a tooth and the space is cleaned and sealed
noun
Examples
- The dentist told her she would need a root canal to save the badly decayed molar.
- After the root canal, the tooth was fitted with a crown to protect it.
/plæk/
a sticky film of bacteria that forms on the surface of teeth and can cause cavities and gum disease if not removed
noun
Examples
- Brushing twice a day helps remove plaque before it hardens into tartar.
- The hygienist warned him that plaque buildup near the gumline was causing early signs of gingivitis.
/ˈdentəl haɪˈdʒiːnɪst/
a licensed oral health professional who cleans teeth, examines patients for signs of disease, and provides preventive dental care
noun
Examples
- The dental hygienist spent twenty minutes scaling and polishing her teeth before the dentist came in.
- His dental hygienist showed him the correct flossing technique to reduce gum inflammation.
/ˈwaɪtənɪŋ/
a cosmetic dental treatment that uses bleaching agents to lighten the color of teeth
noun
Examples
- She booked a professional whitening session at the dental clinic ahead of her wedding.
- Over-the-counter whitening strips are less effective than the treatment offered by a dentist.
/ɪkˈstrækʃən/
the removal of a tooth from its socket in the jawbone, performed when the tooth is too damaged or decayed to be saved
noun
Examples
- The dentist recommended an extraction after the cracked tooth proved impossible to repair.
- Wisdom tooth extractions are often performed under local anesthesia as an outpatient procedure.
/rɪˈteɪnər/
a removable orthodontic device worn after braces to keep teeth in their corrected position
noun
Examples
- The orthodontist told her to wear her retainer every night to prevent her teeth from shifting.
- He forgot his retainer at home and could feel his teeth starting to move.
/ɪˈnæməl/
the hard, white outer layer covering the crown of a tooth, the hardest substance in the human body
noun
Examples
- Drinking too much soda can erode the enamel on your teeth over time.
- The dentist warned that the patient's enamel was thinning due to acid reflux.
/ˈtʃɛkˌʌp/
a routine examination by a doctor or dentist to assess a person's general health or condition
noun
Examples
- She scheduled a dental checkup to make sure she had no cavities.
- The doctor recommended an annual checkup to monitor his blood pressure.
/drɪl/
a tool with a rotating tip used to make holes in hard materials
noun
Examples
- He used a drill to make holes in the wall for the shelves.
- The dentist's drill made a high-pitched whining sound.
a repetitive exercise or training activity to practice a skill
noun
Examples
- The soldiers performed their morning drills in the courtyard.
- The teacher ran vocabulary drills to help students memorize new words.
to make a hole in something using a drill; to train someone through repetition
verb
Examples
- They drilled through the rock to lay the pipeline.
- The coach drilled the team on their defensive plays every afternoon.
/ˌænəsˈθiːʒə/
a medically induced loss of sensation or consciousness used to prevent pain during surgery or other medical procedures
noun
Examples
- The surgeon explained the risks of general anesthesia before the operation.
- She was still groggy for several hours after the anesthesia wore off.