Dental practice Spanish

Spanish for dental assistants: intake, X-ray positioning, anesthesia, and post-extraction instructions

The dental assistant is the primary patient communicator in most dental offices — they take the health history, position the patient, explain what's about to happen, and deliver discharge instructions after procedures. For Spanish-speaking patients, who make up a large and growing share of dental patients in the US Southwest, California, Texas, and Florida, the quality of that communication determines whether the patient returns, whether they follow post-op instructions, and whether they leave the appointment with trust in the practice. This page covers the dental assistant's full communication toolkit: intake, X-ray positioning, anesthesia explanation, procedure communication, and post-extraction discharge.

Patient greeting and seating

• "¡Buenos días / tardes! ¿Es usted [nombre]? Soy [nombre], la asistente dental. Pase, siéntese aquí y póngase cómodo." — Good morning / afternoon! Are you [name]? I'm [name], the dental assistant. Come in, sit here and make yourself comfortable.
• "Voy a reclinar el sillón un poco — avíseme cuando esté en una posición cómoda para usted." — I'm going to recline the chair a little — let me know when you're in a comfortable position.
• "¿Es su primera visita con nosotros? ¿Ya ha venido antes?" — Is this your first visit with us? Have you come before?

Health history intake

The dental health history has several questions that are particularly important for Spanish-speaking patients: medication use (especially anticoagulants and diabetes medications), allergy to anesthetics, and pregnancy. Many patients don't connect their general medications to their dental visit — ask specifically.

Chief complaint

• "¿Qué le trae hoy — tiene dolor, algo que le molesta, o viene de rutina para limpieza y revisión?" — What brings you in today — do you have pain, something bothering you, or are you here for your routine cleaning and checkup?
• Pain detail: "¿El dolor es constante, o solo cuando come o toma algo caliente o frío? ¿Señale con el dedo qué diente le duele." — Is the pain constant, or only when you eat or drink something hot or cold? Point with your finger to which tooth hurts.

Medical history

• "¿Tiene alguna enfermedad médica — del corazón, diabetes, presión alta, asma, u otra?" — Do you have any medical conditions — heart, diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, or other?
• "¿Toma algún medicamento todos los días — pastillas para la presión, para el azúcar, para el corazón, o pastillas para adelgazar la sangre como aspirina, warfarina, o Xarelto?" — Do you take any medications every day — pills for blood pressure, for blood sugar, for the heart, or blood thinners like aspirin, warfarin, or Xarelto?
• "¿Ha tenido alguna reacción a la anestesia del dentista antes — como que el corazón le latió muy rápido, mareo, o hinchazón?" — Have you ever had a reaction to dental anesthesia before — like your heart beating very fast, dizziness, or swelling?

Pregnancy

• "¿Está embarazada o podría estar embarazada? Le pregunto porque afecta qué radiografías y medicamentos son seguros." — Are you pregnant or could you be pregnant? I'm asking because it affects which X-rays and medications are safe.

X-ray positioning

Dental X-ray positioning requires the patient to hold still, not swallow, and bite in a specific way — all actions that are nearly impossible to convey with gestures alone. The gag reflex is the most common barrier in bitewing X-rays for Spanish-speaking patients who don't understand what's being asked.

Setup

• "Voy a tomar unas radiografías de sus dientes — son fotos del interior para que el doctor pueda ver todo bien. No duelen — solo necesito que se quede quieto por unos segundos." — I'm going to take some X-rays of your teeth — they're photos of the inside so the doctor can see everything clearly. They don't hurt — I just need you to stay still for a few seconds.
• Lead apron: "Le voy a poner este delantal de plomo — es para proteger el cuerpo de la radiación. Lo hacemos con todos los pacientes." — I'm going to put this lead apron on you — it's to protect your body from radiation. We do this with all patients.

Bitewing positioning

• "Voy a colocar este aparato en su boca — muérdalo suavemente aquí. Ahora cierre bien los dientes sobre él — no lo muerda tan fuerte, solo cierre normal. Quédese quieto y no trague por unos segundos." — I'm going to place this device in your mouth — bite down on it gently here. Now close your teeth on it — don't bite too hard, just close normally. Stay still and don't swallow for a few seconds.

Gagging management

• "Si siente ganas de vomitar, respire por la nariz — lento y profundo. Eso ayuda mucho. También puede rascarse la palma de la mano — suena extraño pero a muchas personas les funciona." — If you feel like gagging, breathe through your nose — slowly and deeply. That helps a lot. You can also scratch the palm of your hand — it sounds strange but works for many people.

Anesthesia explanation

Dental anesthesia anxiety is one of the most common reasons Spanish-speaking patients delay dental care. Explaining what the injection feels like, and what "numb" means, before it happens significantly reduces anxiety and unexpected movement.

• What will happen: "El doctor le va a poner anestesia para que no sienta dolor durante el procedimiento. Primero va a poner una crema anestésica en la encía para adormecer la piel — eso tarda como un minuto. Después va a poner la inyección — va a sentir un pinchazo pequeño y luego presión. El pinchazo dura solo un segundo." — The doctor is going to give you anesthesia so you don't feel pain during the procedure. First, they'll put a numbing cream on your gum to numb the skin — that takes about a minute. Then they'll give the injection — you'll feel a small pinch and then pressure. The pinch only lasts a second.
• What numb feels like: "Después de la inyección, la zona va a sentirse adormecida — como si le hubiera mordido un bicho. Puede sentir que el labio o la mejilla están hinchados — no lo están, es solo la anestesia. Si intenta morder, no va a sentir bien cuánta presión hace — tenga cuidado de no morderse el labio." — After the injection, the area will feel numb — like something bit you. You may feel like your lip or cheek is swollen — it's not, it's just the anesthesia. If you try to bite, you won't feel the pressure well — be careful not to bite your lip.
• Epinephrine: "La anestesia tiene un medicamento llamado epinefrina que hace que dure más. Puede sentir que el corazón late un poco más rápido unos segundos después de la inyección — eso es normal y pasa rápido." — The anesthesia contains a medication called epinephrine that makes it last longer. You may feel your heart beat a bit faster a few seconds after the injection — that's normal and passes quickly.

During the procedure

• "Abra la boca lo más que pueda — un poco más — así, perfecto." — Open your mouth as wide as you can — a little more — like that, perfect.
• "Gire la cabeza hacia mí — así. Quédese quieto." — Turn your head toward me — like that. Stay still.
• "¿Siente algún dolor? Si siente algo, levante la mano — paramos de inmediato." — Do you feel any pain? If you feel anything, raise your hand — we'll stop right away.
• "Enjuáguese con este agua y escupa aquí." — Rinse with this water and spit here.
• "Ya casi terminamos — va muy bien." — We're almost done — you're doing very well.

Post-extraction discharge instructions

Post-extraction instructions are the dental assistant's most critical communication — dry socket (alveolitis seca) is almost entirely preventable with compliant patient behavior, and it's caused almost entirely by patients who didn't understand what they weren't supposed to do. These instructions must be given verbally in Spanish and reinforced with a written handout.

Gauze and bleeding

• "Muerda la gasa firmemente — sin escupir ni enjuagarse — por treinta minutos. Cuando la gasa esté empapada, cámbiela por una nueva. Es normal que haya algo de sangre las primeras horas." — Bite firmly on the gauze — without spitting or rinsing — for thirty minutes. When the gauze is soaked, replace it with a new one. It's normal to have some bleeding for the first few hours.

Protecting the clot (dry socket prevention)

• "Lo más importante es proteger el coágulo — el que se forma en el hueco. No use popote, no escupa fuerte, y no fume por cuarenta y ocho horas — cualquiera de esas cosas puede sacar el coágulo y causar un dolor muy fuerte que se llama alveolitis seca." — The most important thing is to protect the clot — the one that forms in the socket. Don't use a straw, don't spit hard, and don't smoke for forty-eight hours — any of those things can dislodge the clot and cause a very strong pain called dry socket.

Ice and swelling

• "Ponga hielo en la mejilla del lado de la extracción — veinte minutos con hielo, veinte sin hielo — por las primeras dos horas. Ayuda a reducir la hinchazón." — Put ice on the cheek on the extraction side — twenty minutes with ice, twenty without — for the first two hours. It helps reduce swelling.

Diet

• "Hoy coma blando — yogur, puré de papa, sopa fría, helado. No coma del lado de la extracción y no tome nada caliente las primeras horas — el calor disuelve el coágulo." — Today eat soft foods — yogurt, mashed potatoes, cold soup, ice cream. Don't chew on the extraction side and don't drink anything hot for the first hours — heat dissolves the clot.

When to call

• "Llámenos si el dolor empeora después del segundo o tercer día en vez de mejorar, si tiene fiebre, si ve pus, o si el hueco huele mal. Eso puede ser señal de alveolitis seca o infección — es tratable si llama a tiempo." — Call us if the pain worsens after the second or third day instead of improving, if you have fever, if you see pus, or if the socket smells bad. That can be a sign of dry socket or infection — it's treatable if you call in time.

Managing dental anxiety in Spanish

• "Muchas personas se ponen nerviosas en el dentista — es normal. Le voy a explicar cada cosa antes de hacerla para que no haya ninguna sorpresa." — Many people get nervous at the dentist — it's normal. I'm going to explain each thing before doing it so there are no surprises.
• Stop signal: "Si en algún momento quiere que paremos — por cualquier razón — levante la mano izquierda y paramos de inmediato. No tiene que aguantar nada." — If at any point you want us to stop — for any reason — raise your left hand and we'll stop right away. You don't have to endure anything.
• "¿Tiene preguntas antes de que empecemos? No hay preguntas tontas — quiero que esté cómodo antes de comenzar." — Do you have any questions before we start? There are no silly questions — I want you to be comfortable before we begin.

Disclaimer

ClinicaLingo is a language-training tool. The phrases on this page support dental assistants communicating with Spanish-speaking patients within their scope of practice. Post-operative instructions, medication doses, and clinical protocols depend on the treating dentist's orders and state dental practice acts — always follow your dentist's specific instructions and your office's protocols. Language training is not medical advice.