English speaking lesson · Health & Wellbeing
Dentist appointment
You're in the dentist's chair, describing a problem with one of your teeth. You practise it as a real conversation, at whichever of the four levels fits you — the room and the steps stay the same, only the words get harder.
A dentist's chair · you talk to the dentist
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What you have to do
Describe the problem, say how long you've had it, answer a follow-up, and understand the advice. You finish the lesson by getting there in conversation — not by answering questions about it. Nothing is corrected while you talk; the corrections are collected and handed to you at the end.
How it opens
Morning! Please, take a seat — what's been bothering you?
Spoken aloud by the tutor playing the dentist.
The 5 steps that finish it
A step clears when you say the thing that clears it. The steps are identical at all four levels — only the example line fades, and at Natural there is none at all.
- 01
Describe the problem
Say hello, and describe the problem with your tooth.
“Hi — my tooth hurts, a back one.”
- 02
Say how long
Say how long you've had the problem.
“For about a week now.”
- 03
Give more detail
Say what makes it worse — hot, cold, or biting down.
“It hurts with cold drinks, and when I bite down.”
- 04
Check everything's covered
Check everything's covered, and mention anything else.
“No, that's everything, thanks.”
- 05
Understand the advice
Listen to the advice, and ask a question if you have one.
“Okay, thank you — will I need a filling?”
The words, at all four levels
The same room and the same steps, four vocabularies. These are the words the lesson listens for and scores you on — with what each one means and how it sounds when you are talking to the dentist.
Starter
A1 – A2Simple, everyday words with a full hint on every step.
- tooth
- one of the hard white things in your mouth
- “My tooth hurts.”
- hurts
- causes pain
- “My tooth hurts.”
- pain
- an unpleasant feeling in the body
- “I have some pain here.”
- week
- seven days
- “For about a week now.”
- cold
- having a low temperature
- “It hurts with cold drinks.”
- hot
- having a high temperature
- “It hurts with hot food.”
- bite
- to press your teeth together on food
- “It hurts when I bite.”
- back
- the tooth further inside your mouth
- “It's a back tooth.”
- worse
- more bad than before
- “It's getting worse.”
- thanks
- a short way to say thank you
- “Thanks for seeing me.”
Conversational
A2 – B1Common words at a natural pace, with hints to lean on.
- toothache
- pain in a tooth
- “I've had a bad toothache.”
- sensitive
- reacting easily to hot or cold
- “It's quite sensitive to cold.”
- swollen
- puffed up and larger than normal
- “My gum feels a bit swollen.”
- gum
- the pink flesh around your teeth
- “The gum around it is sore.”
- chewing
- biting and grinding food with your teeth
- “It hurts when I'm chewing.”
- throbbing
- a pulsing, repeated ache
- “It's a dull, throbbing pain.”
- filling
- material used to repair a tooth
- “Would I need a filling?”
- improve
- to get better
- “I hope it will improve soon.”
- appointment
- a planned meeting, like with a dentist
- “Thanks for the appointment today.”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for
- “I appreciate you looking at it.”
Confident
B1 – B2Richer, more specific words, with only light hints.
- sharp
- sudden and intense in feeling
- “It's a sharp pain, not dull.”
- persistent
- continuing without stopping
- “It's been fairly persistent.”
- cracked
- with a split or break in it
- “I wondered if it's cracked.”
- inflamed
- swollen and irritated
- “The gum looks a bit inflamed.”
- root
- the part of the tooth below the gum
- “Could it be the root?”
- referral
- being sent to a specialist
- “Would I need a referral?”
- extraction
- removing a tooth completely
- “Is extraction likely?”
- x-ray
- an image showing inside the tooth
- “Would an x-ray help?”
- recovery
- the process of getting better
- “How long is recovery usually?”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for
- “I'd appreciate that.”
Natural
B2 – C1Advanced, idiomatic words — no hints at all.
- twinge
- a brief, sharp pain
- “Just the odd twinge at first.”
- nagging
- persistent and mildly annoying
- “It's become a nagging ache.”
- flare
- to suddenly become worse
- “It tends to flare with anything cold.”
- chipped
- with a small broken piece missing
- “I think it might be chipped.”
- sensitivity
- an easy reaction to hot or cold
- “The sensitivity's got worse.”
- root canal
- a procedure to treat the inside of a tooth
- “Would that mean a root canal?”
- brace
- to prepare for something unpleasant
- “I'll brace myself either way.”
- subside
- to gradually become less intense
- “I hoped it would subside.”
- recuperate
- to recover after a procedure
- “How long to recuperate?”
- obliged
- grateful for a favour
- “Much obliged, thank you.”
More Health & Wellbeing lessons
- Doctor's appointment
- Pharmacy & symptoms
- Booking a doctor's appointment
- Eye test
- Physiotherapy session
- Blood test
- Vaccination
- Personal trainer session
- Therapist check-in