Reading a Dental Quote in Spanish: A Glossary for Patients Comparing Colombian Treatment Plans

The clinic sent its quote in Spanish. Maybe you speak some, maybe none. Either way, a dental treatment plan uses vocabulary that never shows up in a phrasebook, and a machine translation of “incrustación” or “prótesis híbrida” will not tell you what you are buying.

This glossary is organised the way a Colombian quote is usually organised: assessment first, then treatment by category, then the money and the small print. Use it to read your plan line by line, then confirm anything that affects price or materials with the clinic directly. Usage can vary between clinics, so treat these as typical meanings, not legal definitions.

The header and assessment lines

Teeth and positions

You will see tooth numbers, often in the two-digit international format. You may also see these words:

• Diente / pieza dental — tooth. “Pieza 36” means tooth 36.
• Superior / inferior — upper / lower.
• Derecho / izquierdo — right / left (the patient’s).
• Incisivo, canino, premolar, molar, cordal / muela del juicio — incisor, canine, premolar, molar, wisdom tooth.
• Arcada / maxilar / mandíbula — arch / upper jaw / lower jaw.
• Cuadrante — quadrant (one quarter of the mouth).

Everyday restorative treatment

Crowns, veneers and bridges

This is where mistranslation costs money, because the material often matters more than the product name.

Implants and surgery

Full-arch and removable work

• Prótesis total / placa — complete denture.
• Prótesis parcial removible — removable partial denture.
• Sobredentadura — overdenture, a removable denture that clips onto implants.
• Prótesis híbrida / fija sobre implantes — fixed full-arch bridge on implants; ask whether the base is acrylic, zirconia or another material.
• All-on-4 / All-on-6 — usually used in English even in Spanish quotes; count the implants and check whether temporary and final arches are both included.

Gum treatment and hygiene

• Profilaxis / limpieza — routine cleaning.
• Detartraje — scaling to remove tartar.
• Raspado y alisado radicular / curetaje — deep cleaning below the gum line.
• Periodoncia — gum treatment or the gum specialty.
• Gingivectomía / alargamiento de corona — gum reshaping / crown lengthening.
• Blanqueamiento — whitening.

Sedation and anaesthesia

• Anestesia local — local anaesthetic (numbing).
• Sedación consciente / endovenosa — conscious / IV sedation; ask who gives it.
• Anestesia general — general anaesthesia.
• Anestesiólogo — anaesthesiologist; ask whether one is present and whether that is a separate charge.

Money, terms and small print

Five words that are easy to misread

1. “Desde” means “from”. A price “desde” a figure is a starting price, not your price.
2. “Unidad” can mean a single crown or one tooth in a bridge. A three-unit bridge is three units.
3. “Sesión” is a visit. Whitening or gum treatment priced “por sesión” may need several.
4. “Provisional” means temporary, not provisionally approved.
5. “Garantía” is a guarantee, but its conditions (check-ups, hygiene, no work by other dentists) are what make it useful.

A short example, translated

Here is how a few typical lines might read, with the questions a careful patient would send back. The wording is illustrative, not taken from any real clinic.

• “Pieza 46: endodoncia + núcleo + corona en zirconio monolítico” — Lower right first molar: root canal, core build-up, and a solid zirconia crown. Ask: are the three items priced separately, and is the temporary crown included?
• “Pieza 36: implante + pilar + corona, sujeto a tomografía” — Lower left first molar: implant, abutment and crown, subject to a 3D scan. Ask: what would the scan have to show for the price to change, and by how much?
• “Injerto óseo (si se requiere)” — Bone graft if required. Ask: how likely is it, and what is the price if it is needed?
• “No incluye: medicamentos, sedación, controles adicionales” — Does not include medications, sedation or extra follow-up visits. Ask: what would each of those typically add for this plan?

Notice how much of the real cost sits in the conditional phrases and the exclusions rather than in the procedure names themselves.

How to use this glossary

• Print your quote and write the English meaning next to each line.
• Highlight every line where the material, tooth number or quantity is unclear.
• Read the “no incluye” section twice; it often matters more than the total.
• Send the highlighted questions to the clinic in one message and ask for written answers.
• Ask for an English version too, but keep the Spanish original.

Understanding the words is the first step. Deciding whether the plan is right for your mouth is a clinical question for a qualified dentist who has examined you.

Common questions

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