24 I can describe a visit to the dentist
I’d had toothache for a couple of weeks.
When I tried to bite or chew on one of my back teeth, it was
very painful. I needed to have a check-up anyway, so I rang the dental surgery and made an appointment for Friday. The dentist examined my
teeth and told me I needed two fillings,
and said he would have to take out the tooth which was causing the pain. I’ve got to go back
for treatment on Tuesday, and I’m dreading it.
Glossary
have toothache have a pain in your tooth.
bite sth PT bit PP bitten
cut sth with your teeth.
chew use your teeth to break up food in your
mouth.
painful If something is painful, it hurts.
check-up a medical or dental examination to
see if you are healthy.
dental surgery a place where a dentist sees you
(also doctor’s surgery).
make an
appointment arrange a time to
go to a dentist, doctor, etc.
examine sb/sth look at sb/sth very carefully.
filling a mixture that a dentist puts in
your tooth to fill a hole.
take out a tooth remove a tooth from your mouth.
cause sth
be the reason that sth happens, often sth bad.
treatment the things a doctor or dentist does to make
you better. treat sb V.
spotlight dread,
look forward to
If
you are dreading something, you are afraid of something that is going to
happen. If you are looking forward to something, you are happy or excited about
something that is going to happen.
I dread going to the dentist.
My treatment finishes tomorrow; I’m really looking forward to that.
3 ABOUT YOU Write your answers to Exercise 2,
or ask another student.
Answers
from an Italian person
► I don’t have a check-up very often - about
once a year.
1 I don’t look forward to going to the dentist
because I find it very scary.
2 My dental surgery is in a very nice, modern
building with lots of rooms.
3 I had toothache last month.
4 About two years ago.
5 It’s not normally painful when I bite or
chew my food.
4 Test yourself. Cover the glossary meanings
and look at the words. What are the meanings?
