How do I describe tooth pain in English?
Give the place, the length of time, the trigger and the pattern, in that order, then add what you cannot do. It's the lower right, at the back. It started a week ago. It's a dull ache that turns sharp with hot drinks, and I can't chew on that side.
Give the place, the length of time, the trigger and the pattern, in that order, then add what you cannot do. It's the lower right, at the back. It started a week ago. It's a dull ache that turns sharp with hot drinks, and I can't chew on that side. Two details matter more than a diagnosis: whether it wakes you at night, and whether it stays after the cold or the sweet thing has gone.
Write the timeline before you call: the day it started, the nights it woke you, and the one thing that makes it worse. Three lines on your phone beat a long explanation at the chair. Avoid words like infection or nerve unless the dentist uses them first, because a wrong label sends the examination down the wrong path. If you are taking painkillers, note the time of the last dose, because it changes what can be given next.