La paciento uzas ne nur dentofadenon, sed ankaŭ buŝakvon.

Because they are the direct objects of uzas (uses).

In Esperanto, the direct object usually takes the ending -n. So:

• La paciento uzas dentofadenon. = The patient uses dental floss.
• La paciento uzas buŝakvon. = The patient uses mouthwash.

Both things are being used, so both get -n.

La means the.

So la paciento means the patient, referring to a specific patient. Without la, paciento would mean a patient or just patient in a more general sense.

Esperanto uses la for definiteness, much like English uses the.

This is a very common Esperanto pattern meaning not only ... but also ...

In this sentence:

• ne nur dentofadenon = not only dental floss
• sed ankaŭ buŝakvon = but also mouthwash

So the full structure is:

• La paciento uzas ne nur dentofadenon, sed ankaŭ buŝakvon.

This pattern works a lot like English:

• Li estas ne nur inteligenta, sed ankaŭ afabla. = He is not only intelligent, but also kind.

Because sed ankaŭ is the normal way to say but also.

So:

• sed = but
• ankaŭ = also

Together:

• sed ankaŭ = but also

This is the usual pairing with ne nur.

Yes, but the given order is the most natural and straightforward.

Esperanto word order is fairly flexible, but this pattern is usually kept together:

• ne nur X, sed ankaŭ Y

So the most natural version is:

• La paciento uzas ne nur dentofadenon, sed ankaŭ buŝakvon.

You may sometimes see other word orders in special contexts, but learners should treat this as the standard model.

It is a compound word:

• dento = tooth
• fadeno = thread

So dentofadeno literally means tooth-thread, which corresponds to dental floss or floss.

Esperanto often builds vocabulary this way by combining smaller meaningful parts.

It is also a compound:

• buŝo = mouth
• akvo = water

So buŝakvo literally means mouth-water, which is the normal Esperanto word for mouthwash.

This kind of compound is very common in Esperanto and often makes words easy to guess.

In Esperanto compounds, the first element often appears as a root rather than as a full standalone noun.

So:

• dento
  • fadeno becomes dentofadeno
• buŝo
  • akvo becomes buŝakvo

The linking -o in dento- is still there in dentofadeno, but buŝ- appears without the full noun ending -o before the second root. Esperanto compounds can vary a bit in form, but the main idea is that roots combine into one word.

For a learner, the key point is simply to recognize these as normal Esperanto compounds.

Uzas is the present tense of uzi (to use).

Esperanto verb endings are very regular:

• -as = present
• -is = past
• -os = future
• -us = conditional
• -u = imperative / volitive
• -i = infinitive

So:

• uzas = uses / is using
• uzis = used
• uzos = will use

Roughly: OO-zahs

A more careful breakdown:

• u sounds like oo in food
• z sounds like English z
• a sounds like a in father
• s is always voiceless, like s in see

So uzas is approximately OO-zahs.

The letter ŝ is pronounced like English sh.

So buŝakvon is roughly:

• BOOSH-ahk-von

Breaking it down:

• buŝ = boosh
• ak = ahk
• von = von

Also remember that Esperanto stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable, so here the stress is on ak:

• bu-ŜAK-von

Yes. Esperanto often uses a normal noun where English may use a mass noun.

So dentofadeno behaves like an ordinary noun and can take endings normally:

• dentofadeno = dental floss
• dentofadenon = dental floss as a direct object

You do not need to force Esperanto to match English exactly in whether something is countable or uncountable.

Yes. Ankaŭ is somewhat flexible, but its position affects what it emphasizes.

In this sentence, sed ankaŭ buŝakvon clearly means but also mouthwash.

If you move ankaŭ, the meaning may still be understandable, but the emphasis can shift. For learners, the safest pattern is:

• ne nur X, sed ankaŭ Y

That will sound natural and clear.

Because sed means but, and it introduces the second part of the contrast.

The comma helps separate:

• ne nur dentofadenon from
• sed ankaŭ buŝakvon

This mirrors normal punctuation in many languages when contrasting two coordinated parts.

Yes, definitely.

They can connect many kinds of elements:

• Ŝi ne nur kantas, sed ankaŭ dancas. = She not only sings, but also dances.

• La kuracisto estas ne nur sperta, sed ankaŭ afabla. = The doctor is not only experienced, but also kind.

• Li aĉetis ne nur panon, sed ankaŭ fromaĝon. = He bought not only bread, but also cheese.

So in your sentence they connect two nouns, but the pattern is much more general.