German Dentist & Teeth Vocabulary
This set covers a dental checkup from start to finish: der Zahnarzt examines your Zähne, checks for die Karies, and might need to fix a Loch with die Füllung. One thing to flag: Zahnfleisch literally translates as "tooth meat" but just means gum, so don't let the literal parts throw you off when you first meet it.
Learn these 19 words
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All 19 words
plural: die Zahnschmerzen
toothache
Ich habe seit gestern starke Zahnschmerzen. — I have had a bad toothache since yesterday.
- bohrenA2
to drill
Der Zahnarzt muss heute leider bohren. — Unfortunately, the dentist has to drill today.
plural: die Mundspülungen
mouthwash
Ich benutze jeden Abend eine Mundspülung. — I use a mouthwash every evening.
plural: die Zähne
tooth
Der Zahn tut mir schon seit einer Woche weh. — The tooth has been aching for a week.
plural: die Zahnarztpraxen
dental practice
Die Zahnarztpraxis öffnet um acht Uhr. — The dental practice opens at eight o'clock.
gum
Mein Zahnfleisch blutet beim Zähneputzen. — My gums bleed when I brush my teeth.
dental floss
Nach dem Essen benutze ich Zahnseide. — After eating, I use dental floss.
plural: die Zahnspangen
braces
Meine Tochter trägt seit Januar eine Zahnspange. — My daughter has been wearing braces since January.
plural: die Backenzähne
molar
Der Schmerz kommt von einem Backenzahn. — The pain comes from a molar.
plural: die Füllungen
filling
Der Zahnarzt macht mir eine neue Füllung. — The dentist is giving me a new filling.
tooth decay
Zu viel Zucker kann Karies verursachen. — Too much sugar can cause tooth decay.
plural: die Löcher
hole
Ich habe ein Loch im Zahn. Ich muss zum Zahnarzt. — I have a cavity in my tooth. I have to go to the dentist.
plural: die Weisheitszähne
wisdom tooth
Der Zahnarzt zieht meinen Weisheitszahn nächste Woche. — The dentist is pulling my wisdom tooth next week.
plural: die Zahnbürsten
toothbrush
Ich brauche eine neue Zahnbürste. — I need a new toothbrush.
plural: die Zahncremes
toothpaste
Die neue Zahncreme riecht sehr gut. — The new toothpaste smells very good.
plural: die Zahnkronen
dental crown
Der Zahnarzt setzt mir eine Zahnkrone ein. — The dentist is fitting me a dental crown.
tartar
Der Zahnarzt entfernt den Zahnstein professionell. — The dentist removes the tartar professionally.
plural: die Zahnwurzeln
tooth root
Die Entzündung sitzt an der Zahnwurzel. — The infection is at the tooth root.
plural: die Zahnärzte
dentist
Der Zahnarzt untersuchte meine Zähne bei der jährlichen Kontrolle. — The dentist examined my teeth during the annual check-up.
How to learn this set
Nearly every word here is built on the root Zahn (tooth), so once you know der Zahn, you can guess the gender and meaning of compounds like die Zahnbürste, die Zahnseide, and die Zahncreme just by spotting the second half. Drill these by covering the Zahn- prefix and testing yourself on the second component alone: -bürste, -seide, -stein, -fleisch. The exceptions worth memorizing separately are die Karies and das Loch, since they don't contain Zahn but come up constantly alongside it when talking about tooth decay.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zahnarzt masculine or feminine in German?
Der Zahnarzt is the masculine form for a male dentist. A female dentist is die Zahnärztin, with an umlaut added to the stem plus the -in ending.
What is the German word for toothache?
Toothache is die Zahnschmerzen, and it's almost always used in the plural, even for pain in a single tooth. You'd say 'Ich habe Zahnschmerzen' (I have toothache), not a singular form.
What's the difference between Zahnkrone and Füllung?
Die Füllung is a filling, used for a small hole (Loch) caused by Karies. Die Zahnkrone is a full crown that caps the entire visible tooth, used when the damage is too extensive for a filling alone.
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