Teeth & Dentist Expressions
Swedish tooth idiom — bita i det sura äpplet, med nöd och näppe, tandläkarrädd and hålla god min.
Two decks in one, honestly: first the tooth idioms Swedish runs on (grit your teeth, bite the sour apple, armed to the teeth), then a real dentist visit from gapa stort to the numb-face afternoon. The idioms come first — they're what makes tand-Swedish worth learning at B2 — and lördagsgodis explains the whole national relationship with sugar.
- 1
vara som att dra tänder
to be like pulling teeth
Tip: lit. the same — painfully slow to get out of someone.
- 2
bita ihop tänderna
to grit your teeth
Tip: lit. 'bite the teeth together' — endure it.
- 3
bita i det sura äpplet
to bite the bullet
Tip: lit. 'bite the sour apple' — do the unpleasant thing.
- 4
hålla god min
to grin and bear it
Tip: lit. 'keep a good face'.
- 5
med nöd och näppe
by the skin of your teeth
Tip: lit. 'with need and barely'.
- 6
beväpnad till tänderna
armed to the teeth
Tip: lit. the same.
- 7
visa tänderna
to bare your teeth
Tip: lit. 'show the teeth' — to stand up to someone.
- 8
hugga tag i något
to get your teeth into something
Tip: lit. 'grab hold of something'.
- 9
ljuga rakt upp i ansiktet
to lie straight to someone's face
Tip: lit. 'lie straight up in the face'.
- 10
ha sötsug
to have a sweet tooth
Tip: lit. 'have sugar-craving'.
- 11
lördagsgodis
Saturday sweets
Tip: lit. 'Saturday sweets' — the Swedish institution dentists invented.
- 12
vara till åren kommen
to be getting on in years
Tip: lit. 'be come to the years'.
- 13
gratis tandvård till tjugotre
free dental care until twenty-three
Tip: lit. the same — then the bills begin.
- 14
kallelsen kommer
the check-up letter arrives
Tip: lit. 'the summons arrives' — every eighteen months or so.
- 15
skjuta upp det i flera år
to put it off for years
Tip: lit. the same.
- 16
ju längre man väntar, desto värre blir det
the longer you wait, the worse it gets
Tip: lit. the same.
- 17
det är dags för kontroll
you're due for a check-up
Tip: lit. 'it's time for check' — the letter that arrives every other year.
- 18
gå på kontroll
to go for a check-up
Tip: lit. 'go on check'.
- 19
vara tandläkarrädd
to be scared of the dentist
Tip: lit. 'be dentist-afraid' — a recognised thing, not a joke.
- 20
det är över innan man vet ordet av
it's over before you know it
Tip: lit. 'it's over before one knows the word of'.
- 21
gapa stort
open wide
Tip: lit. 'gape big'.
- 22
skölj och spotta
rinse and spit
Tip: lit. the same.
- 23
dra ut en tand
to have a tooth out
Tip: lit. 'pull out a tooth'.
- 24
ett hål
a cavity
Tip: lit. 'a hole' — nobody says 'karies' at the chair.
- 25
en lagning
a filling
Tip: lit. 'a repair'.
- 26
bedövning
a local anaesthetic
Tip: lit. 'numbing'.
- 27
borren
the drill
Tip: lit. 'the drill' — the sound everyone dreads.
- 28
tandstensborttagning
a scale and polish
Tip: lit. 'tartar removal'.
- 29
tandhygienisten gör det
the hygienist does it
Tip: lit. the same — cheaper than the dentist.
- 30
blöda när man borstar
to bleed when brushing
Tip: lit. the same — the first sign of gum trouble.
- 31
tandlossning
gum disease
Tip: lit. 'tooth loosening' — the Swedish word is alarmingly literal.
- 32
gnissla tänder på natten
to grind your teeth at night
Tip: lit. the same.
- 33
en bettskena
a night guard
Tip: lit. 'a bite splint'.
- 34
en visdomstand som växer fram
a wisdom tooth coming through
Tip: lit. the same.
- 35
få den bortopererad
to have it taken out
Tip: lit. 'have it operated away'.
- 36
ett implantat
an implant
Tip: lit. the same — and eye-wateringly expensive.
- 37
en bro
a bridge
Tip: lit. the same — same word as the road kind.
- 38
en protes
a denture
Tip: lit. the same.
- 39
bleka tänderna
to whiten your teeth
Tip: lit. the same.
- 40
använda tandtråd
to floss
Tip: lit. 'use tooth-thread'.
- 41
det är billigare att förebygga än att laga
prevention is cheaper than repair
Tip: lit. the same — the hygienist's motto.
- 42
kosta en förmögenhet
to cost a fortune
Tip: lit. the same — Swedish dental care is not free after 23.
- 43
vara bedövad i timmar efteråt
to be numb for hours afterwards
Tip: lit. the same.
- 44
bita sig i kinden
to bite your cheek by accident
Tip: lit. the same — while numb.
- 45
inte äta på två timmar
no eating for two hours
Tip: lit. the same.
- 46
ett leende som lyser upp hela rummet
a smile that lights up the room
Tip: lit. the same.
- 47
det var inte så farligt som jag trodde
it wasn't as bad as I feared
Tip: lit. the same — the usual verdict.