At the dentist in Thai

ขอนัดทำฟันครับ

khǎw nát tham-fan khráp

I'd like to make a dental appointment.

Male speaker

ทำฟัน covers any dental work at all, so you do not have to name the procedure just to get a slot. Reception will answer with a question about when, so have a day of the week ready before you dial.

ไม่ได้นัดมาค่ะพอจะตรวจได้ไหมคะ

mâi dâi nát maa khâ phaw jà dtrùat dâi mǎi khá

I don't have an appointment — could I still be seen?

Female speaker

Walking in is normal and this is the sentence that opens it. Both particles appear here and they are not interchangeable: ค่ะ khâ closes the statement, คะ khá with a high tone closes the question. Thai staff also use the English "walk in", written วอล์คอิน, for exactly this and understand it instantly.

ขอตรวจฟันกับขูดหินปูนครับ

khǎw dtrùat-fan gàp khùut hǐn-bpuun khráp

I'd like a check-up and a scaling.

Male speaker

ขูดหินปูน, literally "scrape the stone-lime", is the everyday word for scaling. Do not rely on the English word "cleaning" — whitening is a separate service with its own name, and ขูดหินปูน is unambiguous.

ปวดฟันมากค่ะ

bpùat-fan mâak khâ

I've got a really bad toothache.

Female speaker

Thai splits pain into two words and a dentist listens for which one you pick: ปวด is the deep internal ache that comes from inside the tooth, เจ็บ (jèp) is the sharp hurt when something touches a specific spot. Using the wrong one sends them looking in the wrong place.

ปวดฟันซี่นี้ครับ

bpùat fan sîi níi khráp

This tooth is the one that hurts.

Male speaker

ซี่ is the classifier for teeth, so it is ฟันซี่นี้. Always use the classifier in a clinic — you will hear bare ฟันนี้ in fast casual speech, but it sounds sloppy and here you want to be exact. Say it while you point: once you are lying down with a mirror in your mouth, pointing stops being an option.

ซี่ในสุดข้างบนซ้ายค่ะ

sîi nai-sùt khâang-bon sáai khâ

The very back one, upper left.

Female speaker

Thai locates a tooth as inner and outer rather than back and front: ในสุด is the innermost, and you build outwards from there. Combine it with ข้างบน / ข้างล่าง (khâang-bon / khâang-lâang, upper and lower) and ซ้าย / ขวา (sáai / khwǎa).

ปวดตุบๆทั้งคืนเลยครับ

bpùat dtùp-dtùp tháng kheun loei khráp

It's been throbbing all night.

Male speaker

ตุบๆ is the Thai sound-word for a pulse, and the repetition mark ๆ makes it continuous rather than a single beat. ทั้งคืนเลย is how spoken Thai reports a symptom that kept you awake — ตลอดคืน means the same but belongs to writing. Volunteer it, because pain that only comes at night is not something a dentist can see.

เสียวฟันเวลาดื่มน้ำเย็นค่ะ

sǐao fan wee-laa dèum náam-yen khâ

My teeth are sensitive when I drink something cold.

Female speaker

เสียว has no one-word English equivalent: it is the short electric zing, not an ache — Thai people use the same word for the feeling of nails on a blackboard. Keep it attached to the body part, เสียวฟัน: on its own เสียว carries a thrill that often reads as suggestive, so it is not a word to use loose. Say ปวด for this and you will be describing a different problem.

เคี้ยวข้างนี้แล้วเจ็บครับ

khíao khâang-níi láew jèp khráp

It hurts when I chew on this side.

Male speaker

Thai puts the trigger first and the result after it — do X แล้ว it hurts — and that frame works for any pain with a cause. Pain only on biting is a different signal from pain that comes and goes on its own, so expect the dentist to hand you something to bite on and ask ซี่ไหน (sîi nǎi), which one.

เหงือกบวมแล้วก็มีเลือดออกค่ะ

ngèuak buam láew-gâw mii lêuat àwk khâ

My gums are swollen and they bleed.

Female speaker

เลือดออก, "blood comes out", is the ordinary way to say bleeding about any part of the body. แล้วก็ is the spoken "and" that strings two symptoms together — much more natural here than และ, which sounds written.

ที่อุดฟันหลุดออกมาครับ

thîi ùt-fan lùt àwk maa khráp

My filling has come out.

Male speaker

ที่อุดฟัน — "the thing that fills the tooth" — is a set phrase for a filling, so do not treat ที่ as a general noun-maker and build ที่ถอนฟัน for "the extraction"; you will not be understood. หลุด is the verb for something fixed in place coming away, and it covers crowns, braces brackets and fillings alike.

ครอบฟันหลุดค่ะ

khrâwp-fan lùt khâ

My crown has come off.

Female speaker

ครอบ means to cover or cap, so a crown is literally a tooth-cover. Bring the crown itself with you — the first thing they will ask is เอามาด้วยไหม (ao maa dûay mǎi), did you bring it.

ฟันแตกตอนกินข้าวครับ

fan dtàek dtawn gin khâao khráp

My tooth broke while I was eating.

Male speaker

กินข้าว means eating a meal of any kind, not literally rice. Pick the right damage word: แตก is broken, ร้าว (ráao) is a crack running through it, and ฟันบิ่น (fan bìn) is a chip off the edge — the smallest and by far the most common of the three.

ฟันคุดกำลังขึ้นค่ะ

fan-khút gam-lang khêun khâ

My wisdom tooth is coming through.

Female speaker

คุด means stuck or unable to emerge, so ฟันคุด frames a wisdom tooth as a trapped one from the start. ขึ้น is the verb Thai uses for a tooth erupting, the same word as for the sun coming up.

ต้องเอกซเรย์ไหมครับ

dtâwng èek-sà-ree mǎi khráp

Do I need an x-ray?

Male speaker

The English word has been naturalised into three Thai syllables with a fixed tone shape, èek-sà-ree — the same low-tone เอก you meet in เอกสาร, èek-gà-sǎan. Said with an English rhythm it very often is not understood, so give it the Thai stress pattern.

ต้องทำอะไรบ้างคะ

dtâwng tham à-rai bâang khá

What will you need to do?

Female speaker

บ้าง is the word that asks for a list instead of one item. Without it you invite a single-word answer; with it you usually get the whole plan, which is what you want before anyone starts.

จะเจ็บไหมครับ

jà jèp mǎi khráp

Is it going to hurt?

Male speaker

The usual answers are เจ็บนิดหน่อย (jèp nít-nàwy, a little) or ไม่เจ็บหรอก (mâi jèp ràwk, it won't, don't worry). A flat ไม่เจ็บ is rarer — หรอก is the particle that reassures.

ขอฉีดยาชาได้ไหมคะ

khǎw chìit yaa-chaa dâi mǎi khá

Could I have a local anaesthetic?

Female speaker

ยาชา is the numbing injection; ยาสลบ (yaa-sà-lòp) is general anaesthetic, a completely different thing that a dental clinic will not casually give you. ชา on its own is the adjective "numb", so the drug is literally "numb medicine".

ค่ารักษาทั้งหมดเท่าไหร่คะ

khâa rák-sǎa tháng-mòt thâo-rài khá

How much will the treatment be altogether?

Female speaker

ทั้งหมด is the word that gets you a total rather than a price per item, and ทั้งหมดเท่าไหร่คะ on its own works just as well — what Thai does not do is stack ราคา in front of it. Asking before treatment starts is completely normal, and fees differ enormously between clinics, so never assume a figure a friend quoted applies where you are sitting.

ขอใบเสร็จด้วยครับ

khǎw bai-sèt dûay khráp

Could I have a receipt as well?

Male speaker

Ask at the counter while you are paying, not afterwards. If you intend to claim on insurance you may also need ใบรับรองแพทย์ (bai ráp-rawng phâet), the doctor's certificate — request it before you leave the building.

เก็บฟันซี่นี้ไว้ได้ไหมครับ

gèp fan sîi níi wái dâi mǎi khráp

Is there any way to save this tooth?

Male speaker

เก็บ...ไว้ is the frame for "keep something", and it is how you signal you would rather not lose the tooth when extraction is being floated. The alternative you are asking about is รักษารากฟัน — a root canal.

นัดครั้งหน้าเมื่อไหร่ครับ

nát khráng-nâa mêua-rài khráp

When's the next appointment?

Male speaker

ครั้ง is the classifier for occasions, so ครั้งหน้า is "next time" for anything that repeats. If the answer goes past you, ask them to write it down — but expect the Buddhist year, 2569 for 2026 (add 543), and a Thai month abbreviation such as ก.ย. or ต.ค.

กินข้าวได้เลยไหมคะ

gin khâao dâi loei mǎi khá

Can I eat straight away?

Female speaker

ได้เลย means "can, right now" — เลย after a verb is immediacy, not the "at all" it means after a negative. Ask it before you leave the chair, because the answer differs completely between a filling and an extraction.

คืนนี้แปรงฟันตามปกติได้ไหมครับ

kheun-níi bpraeng-fan dtaam bpòk-gà-dtì dâi mǎi khráp

Can I brush as usual tonight?

Male speaker

ตามปกติ is "as usual" and attaches to almost any verb to ask whether you can resume something; bare ปกติ does not sit after a verb that way. Note the spoken reading, bpòk-gà-dtì, not the dictionary bpà-gà-dtì. Worth asking after an extraction or a gum treatment, where the answer is usually "yes, but not that spot".

สะดวกวันไหนคะ

sà-dùak wan-nǎi khá

Which day works for you?

Female speaker

สะดวก means "convenient for you" and is the standard polite way to offer any choice — of day, of time, of payment method. The answer they want is a day of the week, not a date, and you can reply with just วันเสาร์ได้ไหมคะ.

ขอบัตรประชาชนหรือพาสปอร์ตค่ะ

khǎw bàt bprà-chaa-chon rěu phâat-sà-bpàwt khâ

Your ID card or passport, please.

Female speaker

Every clinic opens a patient file on your first visit, and this is how they ask. บัตรประชาชน is the Thai national ID card; as a foreigner you hand over the passport, and they will usually want a phone number for the appointment reminder too. In speech หรือ is normally clipped to รึ, so listen for bàt bprà-chaa-chon réu phâat-sà-bpàwt.

กรอกประวัติตรงนี้ก่อนนะคะ

gràwk bprà-wàt dtrong-níi gàwn ná khá

Fill in your details here first, please.

Female speaker

ประวัติ is your patient record, and กรอกประวัติ is what reception actually says on a first visit; เอกสาร, "documents", sounds like a stack of legal paperwork. กรอก is filling into something narrow — the blanks on a form, or liquid into a bottle (กรอกน้ำ) — never the "fill a tooth" sense, which is อุด. ก่อน at the end sequences you politely instead of ordering you about.

นั่งรอสักครู่ค่ะ

nâng raw sàk-khrûu khâ

Please take a seat and wait a moment.

Female speaker

สักครู่ is a polite indefinite "a little while" and is not a promise about time. If you need a real answer, ask อีกกี่คิวคะ — how many people ahead of me.

มีอีกสองคิวนะคะ

mii ìik sǎwng khiw ná khá

There are two ahead of you.

Female speaker

คิว, from English "queue", is how waiting is counted everywhere in Thailand — a คิว is one person's turn, not a length of time. Staff give the number and stop, in about a second, so train your ear for it; อีกกี่คิวคะ (ìik gìi khiw) is the question that produces it, and a number is far more useful than a vague "soon".

เชิญทางนี้เลยค่ะ

choen thaang-níi loei khâ

Come through this way, please.

Female speaker

เชิญ is the "please, go ahead" of invitation, used for sitting, entering and helping yourself. The assistant usually just gestures and says this; if a room is named at all it is ห้องทำฟัน, not the ห้องตรวจ of a general hospital. Listen for your given name in front of it — Thai clinics call patients by first name, foreigners included.

นอนได้เลยนะคะ

nawn dâi loei ná khá

Go ahead and lie back.

Female speaker

นอน is to lie down, not necessarily to sleep, and ได้เลย means go ahead and do it now. With นะคะ she is reassuring you rather than directing you — the chair is usually already reclining as she says it.

อ้าปากกว้างๆค่ะ

âa bpàak gwâang-gwâang khâ

Open wide.

Female speaker

The single most-heard sentence in a Thai dental chair — learn it as one sound. Doubling an adjective with ๆ softens it into "nice and wide" rather than intensifying it, so this is a request, not a demand. If they want more they will add อีกนิดนึง (ìik nít-neung), a bit more.

อ้าค้างไว้นะคะ

âa kháang wái ná khá

Hold your mouth open like that.

Female speaker

ค้างไว้ is to leave something held in position, and it is what you hear the moment before the drill starts. Note นะคะ, never นะค่ะ: when a woman's sentence ends in นะ, the particle after it is คะ with a high tone even in a statement. This is the one common exception to ค่ะ for statements, and Thai people notice the wrong one in writing.

กัดลงไปเลยนะคะ

gàt long bpai loei ná khá

Bite down.

Female speaker

Staff say กัด on its own; ลงไป adds the downward direction, so it is a closing movement rather than a clench. Avoid กัดฟัน as a standalone instruction — on its own it drifts towards the idiom "grit your teeth and endure it" — and you will meet it only in the fixed กัดฟันให้สนิท (gàt fan hâi sà-nìt), close all the way together.

กัดไว้แน่นๆค่ะ

gàt wái nâen-nâen khâ

Bite down firmly and keep holding.

Female speaker

ไว้ after a verb means keep doing it, hold the state — the difference between biting once and staying bitten. แน่น is firm or tight, and doubled it means "good and firm".

หันหน้ามาทางนี้ค่ะ

hǎn nâa maa thaang-níi khâ

Turn your face towards me.

Female speaker

With instruments in your mouth you cannot see their hand, so learn these by sound: หัน is turn, เงย (ngoei) is chin up, ก้ม (gôm) is chin down. มา in the middle means towards the speaker, which tells you which direction to turn.

บ้วนปากได้เลยค่ะ

bûan bpàak dâi loei khâ

You can rinse now.

Female speaker

บ้วน is to expel something from the mouth, so บ้วนปาก is rinse and spit out. This is your cue to sit up and use the cup beside the chair — many newer chairs have no spittoon at all and the assistant simply hands you the cup. Nothing else in the sentence tells you to move, so it is worth recognising instantly.

อย่ากลืนนะคะ

yàa gleun ná khá

Don't swallow it.

Female speaker

อย่า is the ordinary spoken "don't", softer than ห้าม which is a flat prohibition. You hear this while the suction is working or after a fluoride treatment.

ถ้าเจ็บยกมือขึ้นนะครับ

thâa jèp yók meu khêun ná khráp

If it hurts, put your hand up.

Male speaker

This is the agreed signal and it is close to universal in Thai clinics, because once the suction and the mirror are in you physically cannot say anything. Nod when you hear it, so they know you understood, and actually use it — the reply is usually a pause and เจ็บตรงไหน (jèp dtrong nǎi), where does it hurt.

จะรู้สึกตึงๆแต่ไม่เจ็บนะครับ

jà rúu-sèuk dteung-dteung dtàe mâi jèp ná khráp

You'll feel some pressure, but it won't hurt.

Male speaker

ตึง is tight or taut — the pushing, stretching sensation, deliberately contrasted here with เจ็บ. Hearing this means the anaesthetic is considered to be working and what follows is expected, so it is not a warning.

ชารึยังคะ

chaa réu yang khá

Has it gone numb yet?

Female speaker

หรือยัง asks "yet?" and in the treatment room it is always clipped to รึยัง — หรือ is the written form, not the spoken one. It has its own answer set: ชาแล้ว (chaa láew) for yes it's numb now, ยังไม่ชา (yang mâi chaa) for not yet. Answering ใช่ or ไม่ใช่ does not work — Thai yes-no questions are answered with the verb.

ฟันซี่นี้ผุลึกมากครับ

fan sîi níi phù léuk mâak khráp

This tooth is very deeply decayed.

Male speaker

ผุ is decay or rot, and ฟันผุ is the everyday word for a cavity. ลึก, deep, is the word that matters: shallow decay means a filling, deep decay is the lead-in to the next sentence about the nerve.

ซี่นี้ต้องอุดครับ

sîi níi dtâwng ùt khráp

This one needs a filling.

Male speaker

Short, and you will hear it while they are still looking in your mouth, often with a nurse writing it down. If several teeth are involved they will count them: สามซี่ (sǎam sîi), three of them.

ผุถึงโพรงประสาทแล้วครับ

phù thěung phroong-bprà-sàat láew khráp

The decay has reached the nerve.

Male speaker

This is the sentence that turns a filling into something much bigger, so recognise it. ประสาท is nerve and โพรง is a hollow or chamber; if you hear either word, or รากฟัน (râak-fan, tooth root), ask ต้องทำอะไรบ้างครับ before agreeing to anything.

ต้องรักษารากฟันครับ

dtâwng rák-sǎa râak-fan khráp

You'll need root canal treatment.

Male speaker

รักษา is to treat medically, so this is literally "treat the tooth root". Ask ต้องมากี่ครั้งครับ (dtâwng maa gìi khráng) — how many visits — because this is rarely finished in one sitting, and each visit needs its own appointment.

ซี่นี้เก็บไม่ได้แล้วต้องถอนครับ

sîi níi gèp mâi dâi láew dtâwng thǎwn khráp

This one can't be saved — it has to be taken out.

Male speaker

ถอน is to pull out something rooted, used for teeth and for withdrawing money. เก็บไม่ได้แล้ว, "can no longer be kept", is the verdict — if you want a second opinion, this is the moment to say ขอคิดดูก่อนครับ (khǎw khít duu gàwn), let me think about it first.

ฟันคุดซี่นี้ต้องผ่าครับ

fan-khút sîi níi dtâwng phàa khráp

This wisdom tooth will have to be cut out.

Male speaker

ถอน and ผ่า are not the same procedure: ถอน is pulling a tooth that is already up, ผ่า means to cut, used when the tooth is still under gum or bone. Different appointment, different recovery, different price — so listen for which verb they use.

กัดฟิล์มไว้ห้ามขยับนะคะ

gàt fim wái hâam khà-yàp ná khá

Bite on the film and don't move.

Female speaker

Staff call the x-ray sensor ฟิล์ม, film, even when it is digital. ห้าม is a flat prohibition rather than a polite request — in a clinic that is normal and carries no rudeness, and the นะคะ on the end is what keeps it ordinary rather than sharp.

ยืนนิ่งๆอย่าขยับค่ะ

yeun nîng-nîng yàa khà-yàp khâ

Stand still, don't move.

Female speaker

For the panoramic x-ray you stand and the arm rotates around your head, so the instruction changes from biting to standing. นิ่ง is motionless; ขยับ is to shift even slightly, which is exactly what they mean.

ลองกัดดูรู้สึกสูงไหมคะ

lawng gàt duu rúu-sèuk sǔung mǎi khá

Try biting — does it feel high?

Female speaker

Asked right after a filling, and it is the most important question of the visit: สูง means the new filling is standing proud of your bite. Say สูงนิดนึง (sǔung nít-neung) if it is and they will grind it down on the spot; saying it's fine because you did not understand leaves you with a tooth that aches for weeks. ลอง...ดู is the frame for "give it a try".

กัดผ้าก๊อซไว้ครึ่งชั่วโมงนะคะ

gàt phâa-gáwt wái khrêung chûa-moong ná khá

Bite on the gauze for half an hour.

Female speaker

ผ้าก๊อซ is the gauze pad packed into the socket after an extraction; some clinics say สำลี (sǎm-lii), cotton wool, for the same roll. Whatever length of time they say, they will repeat it at the counter — if you missed it, ask กี่นาทีคะ (gìi naa-thii), how many minutes.

วันนี้ห้ามบ้วนน้ำลายนะคะ

wan-níi hâam bûan nám-laai ná khá

No spitting today.

Female speaker

น้ำลาย is saliva: น้ำ is the all-purpose fluid prefix you also meet in น้ำตา (tears) and น้ำมูก (nasal mucus), while the ลาย part is not the word for "stripe" despite looking like it, so do not try to read a literal meaning into it. This comes after an extraction and is usually said as part of a short list with ห้ามดูดหลอด (hâam dùut làwt, no straws) and ห้ามสูบบุหรี่ (hâam sùup bù-rìi, no smoking) — if you only catch one ห้าม, ask them to repeat the rest.

ถ้าปวดกินยาแก้ปวดได้ค่ะ

thâa bpùat gin yaa gâe-bpùat dâi khâ

If it aches, you can take a painkiller.

Female speaker

ยาแก้ + the symptom is the whole Thai naming system for medicines: ยาแก้ปวด painkiller, ยาแก้แพ้ (yaa gâe-pháe) antihistamine, ยาแก้ไอ (yaa gâe-ai) cough medicine. Note that Thai says กินยา, "eat medicine", never "take".

ยาฆ่าเชื้อต้องกินให้หมดค่ะ

yaa khâa-chéua dtâwng gin hâi mòt khâ

You have to finish all the antibiotics.

Female speaker

ยาฆ่าเชื้อ, "germ-killing medicine", is what clinics and pharmacies actually say for antibiotics — the formal term is almost never spoken. ให้หมด means until it is all gone, and they will stress it because stopping early is the common mistake.

อีกอาทิตย์นึงมาตัดไหมนะคะ

ìik aa-thít neung maa dtàt-mǎi ná khá

Come back in a week to have the stitches taken out.

Female speaker

ไหม here is thread, not the question particle — identical spelling, but in speech the question word is normally มั้ย (mái, high tone) while thread keeps the rising mǎi. On the page they look the same; in the room they don't. Note also the spoken order, อีกอาทิตย์นึง, where writing would put the number first as อีกหนึ่งอาทิตย์.

นัดวันเสาร์หน้าสะดวกไหมคะ

nát wan-sǎo nâa sà-dùak mǎi khá

Would next Saturday suit you for the appointment?

Female speaker

หน้า after a time word means "next": วันเสาร์หน้า next Saturday, อาทิตย์หน้า next week, เดือนหน้า next month. Reply สะดวกค่ะ/ครับ if it works, or ขอเป็นวันอื่นได้ไหม to ask for a different day.

ยังไม่ชาเลยครับ

yang mâi chaa loei khráp

It's still not numb at all.

Male speaker

After a negative, เลย means "at all" — the opposite job from the "right away" it does after a positive verb. Say this the moment they test you, not after the drill starts, and expect รออีกสักครู่ (raw ìik sàk-khrûu), wait a bit longer.

ขอยาชาเพิ่มอีกหน่อยได้ไหมคะ

khǎw yaa-chaa phôem ìik nàwy dâi mǎi khá

Could I have a bit more anaesthetic?

Female speaker

เพิ่ม means to add more of something already given, and it is the polite way to ask for a top-up of anything. Asking is completely normal — a second injection partway through is routine, not a complaint about the dentist.

เจ็บครับขอหยุดก่อน

jèp khráp khǎw yùt gàwn

That hurts — can we stop a second?

Male speaker

ขอ...ก่อน is the softener that keeps this from landing as an order; ก่อน means "for now", not "forever". Get the ครับ or ค่ะ out early — one syllable is about all you can manage with your mouth propped open, and it is the part carrying the politeness.

ไม่ใช่ซี่นั้นค่ะอีกซี่นึง

mâi châi sîi nán khâ ìik sîi neung

Not that one — the other one.

Female speaker

Rehearse this before you lie down, because once the mirror and suction are in you cannot point and you cannot form most consonants. อีกซี่นึง is "the other tooth", using นึง, the spoken reduction of หนึ่ง.

ขอพักแป๊บนึงครับ

khǎw phák bpáep-neung khráp

Can I have a quick break?

Male speaker

แป๊บนึง is the colloquial "just a sec" and is spoken rather than written. It is a completely normal thing to ask for halfway through a long procedure, and the answer is usually a nod and a pause rather than any words.

เมื่อยกรามแล้วครับ

mêuai graam láew khráp

My jaw's aching now.

Male speaker

Short enough to get out through a propped-open mouth, which is exactly when you need it; once you can close, the full version is อ้าปากนานแล้วเมื่อยกราม, my jaw aches from holding it open so long. เมื่อย is tired, aching muscle — the third of the three pains beside ปวด (deep internal ache) and เจ็บ (sharp hurt) — and choosing it tells them to give you a rest rather than more anaesthetic.

รู้สึกเวียนหัวค่ะ

rúu-sèuk wian-hǔa khâ

I'm feeling dizzy.

Female speaker

Say it immediately rather than trying to sit it out; they will lower the chair and wait with you. เวียนหัว is dizzy or spinning, while คลื่นไส้ (khlêun-sâi) is nauseous — worth knowing both, because the responses are different.

กลับบ้านแล้วเลือดยังไหลไม่หยุดเลยครับ

glàp bâan láew lêuat yang lǎi mâi yùt loei khráp

I got home and the bleeding still hasn't stopped.

Male speaker

ไหลไม่หยุด, "flows without stopping", is the fixed pairing for bleeding — not หยุดไหล, which is English word order pushed into Thai. Phone the clinic rather than waiting for the next appointment; if it is out of hours and you are worried, 1669 is the national ambulance line.

หน้าบวมขึ้นกว่าเดิมค่ะ

nâa buam khêun gwàa doem khâ

My face is more swollen than it was.

Female speaker

กว่าเดิม, "more than originally", is the phrase that turns a symptom into a report of change, which is what they need to judge it. ขึ้น here marks the increase, so บวมขึ้น is "got more swollen", not "swollen up high".

กินยาแก้ปวดแล้วก็ยังปวดอยู่ครับ

gin yaa gâe-bpùat láew gâw yang bpùat yùu khráp

I've taken the painkillers and it still hurts.

Male speaker

ยัง...อยู่ wraps around the verb to mean the state is still going on, and it is the frame for reporting that something has not changed. แล้วก็ at the join carries the "and yet" sense without you needing a word for "but".

ที่อุดชั่วคราวหลุดแล้วค่ะ

thîi ùt chûa-khraao lùt láew khâ

The temporary filling has fallen out.

Female speaker

ชั่วคราว means temporary and is the word that tells reception which stage you are at — between root canal visits rather than starting fresh. Say it on the phone and they will know why you cannot simply wait for the booked appointment.

วันนี้ขอทำแค่นี้ก่อนได้ไหมครับ

wan-níi khǎw tham khâe níi gàwn dâi mǎi khráp

Could we just do this much today and leave the rest for now?

Male speaker

แค่นี้ is "just this much" — one limiter is enough, so do not stack เท่านี้ after it. It is a face-saving way to stop a treatment plan growing past your budget without anyone having to talk about money: ก่อน makes it provisional, so nobody loses face and the rest stays booked for later.

พูดช้าๆอีกทีได้ไหมคะ

phûut cháa-cháa ìik thii dâi mǎi khá

Could you say that again more slowly?

Female speaker

Use it at the counter or before you recline, because once instruments are in your mouth you have no way to ask and the instructions keep coming — which is exactly why the chair phrases above are worth memorising as whole sounds. If it is a date or a dosage, add ช่วยเขียนให้หน่อยได้ไหมคะ (chûay khǐan hâi nàwy), please write it down.

ผมกลัวหมอฟันมากเลยครับรบกวนค่อยๆนะครับ

phǒm glua mǎw-fan mâak loei khráp róp-guan khâwy-khâwy ná khráp

I'm really scared of dentists — please go gently.

Male speaker

Saying it out loud is normal here and gets a warm response rather than an awkward one; หมอฟัน, "tooth doctor", is what everyone calls a dentist in speech. รบกวน, literally "to trouble you", is the natural "if you wouldn't mind" in front of the request — ขอ needs a noun or a verb after it and cannot carry ค่อยๆ on its own. ค่อยๆ means slowly and gently and is the all-purpose "take it easy with that", useful far beyond the clinic.