Episode 0075

Hello everyone, welcome back to English Pod. My name is Marco.

And I'm Erica.

And today we're going to be going to one of the least favorite places of many, many people.

So it must be the dentist.

Exactly, that place where you have to go every six months, but you

Probably don't go.

You probably don't. I know I don't go every six months.

Me neither.

So yeah, we're going to be going to the dentist and of course, we're going to be looking at a lot of great vocabulary related to teeth and all that crazy stuff dentists do.

Yes, and we'll also learn some really interesting phrases.

Um, so Marco, let's get started with our vocabulary preview.

Vocabulary preview.

Okay, in vocabulary preview today, we have two words. Let's take a look at the first one.

Toothache.

Toothache.

Toothache.

Toothache.

Okay, so we've seen before this, uh, this ending ache, right?

Right.

It means it hurts.

Exactly.

So again, a toothache would be a hurting tooth.

A hurting tooth.

A hurting tooth. We can also say stomach ache, headache, pretty much everything can

Yep.

Ache.

Ache. Yeah.

Okay.

So our next word, X-ray.

X-ray.

X-ray.

X- h y p h e n r a y.

Okay, pretty easy word.

So, when you go to the doctor, many times you'll get an X-ray.

It is a picture of your bones.

Right.

So, that's an X-ray.

All right, well, we're going to hear both of these words in the dialogue. So why don't we listen as Gary visits his dentist.

Hey Gary, great to see you again. Please, have a seat.

So, tell me what seems to be the problem?

I think it might be my wisdom teeth.

Well, let's have a look. Open wide.

Ah.

Hmm, this doesn't look good. Well, it looks like you have a cavity and your crown is loose.

Uh.

We'll need to put in a filling before it gets any worse, and the crown probably needs to be refitted. I'm going to order some X-rays.

No, not at all. Just lay back and relax.

Okay, spit.

Okay, that always happens. The dentist says, no, it's not going to hurt, don't worry about it.

But it always hurts much more than he says.

Exactly. So in this dialogue, we saw some interesting words when the dentist was describing what problems Gary had.

Yes. So why don't we look at those now in language takeaway?

Language takeaway.

All right, let's take a look at our first word.

So Gary said that his face was all swollen.

Swollen.

Swollen.

Swollen.

So swollen is an adjective, right, Marco?

Right.

So his face is or was swollen.

It was bigger.

Yeah, his face was bigger than normal.

Yes. Often when you hurt yourself, that part of your body becomes swollen.

Swollen, right? So you have to put some ice on it usually and then the swelling will go down.

And that's the noun, the swelling.

Right. The swelling and, well, the verb to swell.

So let's listen to some examples of how we would use the swelling, swollen and to swell.

Example one.

My nose is swollen. It's the size of a football.

Example two.

Put some ice on your foot and the swelling will go down.

Example three.

I got bitten by a spider and my hand is swelling up.

All right, so Gary's face was swollen and he thought that it was his wisdom teeth.

Wisdom teeth.

Wisdom teeth.

Okay, so this is interesting. Wisdom is like wise.

Yeah, knowledge.

Knowledge. So these teeth, they're not knowledgeable, but they're called wisdom teeth.

They are the teeth that grow last in your mouth, right?

Right. They are the last teeth at the very end of your mouth.

Yes, and usually you get them when you're about 20.

And since they come out at this age, sometimes they interfere, they hurt a little bit, so you have to get them taken out.

Yes. All right, wisdom teeth.

Wisdom teeth. Okay. Now for our next word and something that we all got as children, cavity.

Cavity.

A cavity.

A cavity.

It's a hole in your tooth.

A hole in your tooth. And it's caused by

Too much sugar.

Too much sugar, right?

Or not brushing your teeth enough.

Yeah.

So that's why everyone had it, I think, as children, cavities.

I never had a cavity.

Really?

Yeah.

Wow, didn't have much sugar?

I guess I was a bit of a health nut when I was a kid. Well, no, I wasn't. My mom was.

Okay.

No, I guess not. All right, but enough about my eating habits.

Let's talk about our next word, crown.

Crown.

A crown.

So a crown. This is interesting.

We're not talking kings and queens.

Right, that's the first thing that comes to mind, right?

No, a crown is actually the visible part of your teeth.

Okay, so there's one part of your tooth that's inside that you can't see, right?

Right. That's called the root.

Yes. So, when he said your crown is loose, what's he talking really about the actual tooth?

So sometimes people will lose a tooth or have a really bad cavity, so the dentist needs to make a new crown or a new visible part of the tooth for you.

So sometimes it'll be made of gold.

Yep. Or porcelain.

Porcelain, exactly.

So a crown, it's like a really, really, really big filling.

Mhm. A crown. So his crown needed to be refitted or put back into place.

Yes. And our final word, a filling.

A filling.

A filling.

A filling. So I just said this word previously.

Now, when you have a cavity, you need to fill it in.

Right, you need to fill it with something.

It's usually some sort of paste.

Uh-huh. And it gets really hard, just like your tooth.

Exactly. So then it covers up this cavity. Filling.

A filling.

I have many fillings. I wasn't a very healthy as a kid.

Exactly. So why don't we listen to this dialogue again and then we'll come back and talk a little bit about some of the interesting phrases that the doctor used.

Hey Gary, great to see you again. Please, have a seat. So, tell me what seems to be the problem?

I think it might be my wisdom teeth.

Well, let's have a look. Open wide.

Uh.

Hmm, this doesn't look good. Well, it looks like you have a cavity and your crown is loose.

We'll need to put in a filling before it gets any worse, and the crown probably needs to be refitted. I'm going to order some X-rays.

No, not at all. Just lay back and relax.

Okay, spit.

Well, the dentist used three really interesting phrases, and I want to look at the first one. What seems to be the problem?

What seems to be the problem?

What seems to be the problem?

Okay. Very easy, little sentence to ask somebody what's wrong.

Exactly. Um, and I mean, these are small easy words, but when you put them together, they sound really natural, um, and and really fluent.

Mhm. So, if you ask somebody, what seems to be the problem is very polite. Yeah. And it's a very good way of asking what's wrong.

Yes.

All right.

Our next phrase, also made up of simple words, let's have a look.

Let's have a look.

Let's have a look.

So this is a phrase that maybe your mechanic or your dentist or your doctor will say.

Or anyone.

Right. Let's have a look.

Let's look at it and see what the problem is.

Okay. Let's have a look.

Okay. And our final phrase, it doesn't look good.

It doesn't look good.

It doesn't look good.

So I can use this phrase for an object, right? Like, uh, this house doesn't look good.

Yes.

But here it's used a little bit differently. So why don't we listen to some examples to help us understand the meaning?

Example one.

Example two.

It doesn't look good for Michael Jackson. He's in a lot of debt.

Example three.

You know, the economy doesn't look very good.

Okay, so in the examples, we can see that they are using it for the situation.

Yeah.

It looks maybe problematic?

Yeah, it so when you say it doesn't look good, you basically mean there are going to be problems.

All right. It doesn't look good.

Okay. So great phrases, great words. Let's listen to our Gary at the dentist one more time, then we'll come back and talk a little bit more.

Hey Gary, great to see you again. Please, have a seat. So, tell me what seems to be the problem?

I think it might be my wisdom teeth.

Well, let's have a look. Open wide.

Ah.

Hmm, this doesn't look good. Well, it looks like you have a cavity and your crown is loose.

Uh.

We'll need to put in a filling before it gets any worse, and the crown probably needs to be refitted. I'm going to order some X-rays.

No, not at all. Just lay back and relax.

Okay, spit.

Well, Marco, um, speaking of dentists, have you ever had an experience like this where you spat out a tooth at the dentist?

Well, nothing so uh, serious as this, but actually recently when I was in Cambodia.

All right, you called us from Cambodia.

Yeah. Well, our taxi driver offered us to have some local food.

And he said, well, we're going to have dog.

So that was interesting. Uh, actually, it wasn't that bad. It was pretty good, but, you know, if you get around the fact that it's a dog.

So what does this have to do with your teeth?

I was eating it and I bit a bone that was hidden.

Okay.

And I chipped my tooth.

So you broke part of your tooth?

Yeah, like half of it, which I had already chipped before.

So I had to go to the dentist, and so the dentist created a new crown with not with gold or porcelain, actually, with a paste.

Oh.

Uh-huh, and then it becomes hard and it just, it looks normal. It doesn't even look like I have a fake crown, so to say.

But dentists can be really expensive. So how much did this cost?

Well, this was for the bargain price of $10.

$10.

$10. That's how much it cost.

Yeah, because actually it was pretty good.

He looked really young though. I was kind of scared because when he walked in, he looked like he was 19. But I asked him his age and he was like 30.

Okay. Well, you're very trusting.

Yeah, so I imagine that you guys maybe have some dental experiences, so why don't you come to our website and tell us all about it?

Yeah, visit us at EnglishPod.com and you can find lots more resources uh for learning English there. Well, guys, thanks for listening and until next time. Bye.

Bye.

The English Pod audio review.

Listen to the meaning, then say the vocabulary word.

Sit down.

Seat.

Tooth pain.

Toothache.

Some parts are bigger than others due to a certain disease.

Swollen.

One of the four large teeth at the back of the mouth, which grows only in one's adulthood.

Wisdom tooth.

Take a glance.

Have a look.

A hole in a tooth.

Cavity.

The part of the tooth which can be seen.

Crown.

Something that fills a hole in a tooth.

Filling.

A medical examination that takes a picture of your bones.

X-rays.

To use a thin thread or string to clean between your teeth.

Floss.

A liquid that is used to clean your mouth and teeth and make your breath smell better.

Mouthwash.

A disease in which the gums become red, swollen, and sore.

Gingivitis.

A thin coating that forms on the teeth and contains bacteria.

Plaque.

Used to describe when someone has very bad breath.

Dog breath.

Let's try that faster.

Sit down.

Seat.

Take a glance.

Have a look.

The part of the tooth which can be seen.

Crown.

A thin coating that forms on the teeth and contains bacteria.

Plaque.

Something that fills a hole in a tooth.

Filling.

A liquid that is used to clean your mouth and teeth and make your breath smell better.

Mouthwash.

A disease in which the gums become red, swollen, and sore.

Gingivitis.

One of the four large teeth at the back of the mouth which grows only in one's adulthood.

Wisdom tooth.

Used to describe when someone has very bad breath.

Dog breath.

Some parts are bigger than others due to a certain disease.

Swollen.

To use a thin thread or string to clean between your teeth.

Floss.

A hole in a tooth.

Cavity.

Tooth pain.

Toothache.

A medical examination that takes a picture of your bones.

X-rays.

Now say the word and hear it in a sentence.

My nose is swollen, it's the size of a football.

Put some ice on your foot and the swelling will go down.

I got bitten by a spider and my hand is swelling up.

It doesn't look good for Michael Jackson. He's in a lot of debt.

You know, the economy doesn't look very good.

You're going to have to get your wisdom teeth pulled.

I think my wisdom teeth are coming in.

Cavity.

Cavity.

If you don't brush your teeth, you'll get cavities.

Cavity.

You can see on this X-ray that you have four cavities.

Have a look.

So you're having car trouble. Let's have a look at the engine.

Have a look.

Let's have a look at your computer and see what the problem is.

Have a look.

Let me have a look at your report.