Не то чтобы у меня очень болит зуб, но лучше записаться к стоматологу пораньше.

Не то чтобы is a very common Russian softening phrase. It means something like:

• It’s not that...
• Not exactly that...
• I wouldn’t quite say that...

In this sentence, the speaker is downplaying the problem:

• Не то чтобы у меня очень болит зуб, но...
• It’s not that my tooth hurts very badly, but...

So the idea is: the pain is not severe, but it is still enough that going to the dentist seems sensible.

This pattern often sets up a contrast:

• Не то чтобы X, но Y
• It’s not really X, but Y

It sounds natural and slightly cautious, as if the speaker does not want to exaggerate.

Russian often expresses physical sensations with the pattern:

• у + genitive + болит / болят + body part

So:

• у меня болит зуб literally looks like at me hurts a tooth

but naturally means:

• my tooth hurts
• I have a toothache

This structure is extremely common with body parts:

• У меня болит голова — My head hurts / I have a headache
• У него болит спина — His back hurts
• У нас болят ноги — Our legs hurt

You can say мой зуб болит, and it is understandable, but it sounds more direct and less idiomatic in ordinary speech. У меня болит зуб is the normal everyday way.

Because the speaker is talking about one tooth hurting.

• болит зуб = one tooth hurts
• болят зубы = teeth hurt

Russian matches the verb with the grammatical number:

• болит for singular
• болят for plural

So:

• У меня болит зуб — One tooth hurts
• У меня болят зубы — My teeth hurt / I have tooth pain in more than one tooth

Even in English, we often say my tooth hurts if it seems to be one specific tooth.

The dictionary form is болеть.

In this sentence:

• болит = 3rd person singular present tense of болеть

Why 3rd person singular? Because the grammatical subject is зуб:

• зуб болит — the tooth hurts

So even though English says I have a toothache, Russian structures it more like:

• A tooth hurts (for me)

That is why the verb agrees with зуб, not with меня.

Очень means very.

So:

• очень болит = hurts a lot / hurts very much

In this sentence, it helps create the contrast:

• Не то чтобы у меня очень болит зуб...
• It’s not that my tooth hurts very much...

This implies the pain is present, but not extreme.

Russian often places очень before the word it intensifies:

• очень болит — hurts a lot
• очень хороший — very good
• очень быстро — very quickly

Here лучше means it would be better / better to.

Russian often uses лучше + infinitive to give advice or suggest the best course of action:

• Лучше подождать — It’s better to wait
• Лучше уйти сейчас — It’s better to leave now
• Лучше записаться к стоматологу — It’s better to make an appointment with the dentist

So лучше записаться does not literally mean better signs oneself up. It means:

• it would be better to make an appointment

This is a very common impersonal construction in Russian.

Записаться means to sign up / to make an appointment / to get oneself booked in.

The base verb записать often means to write down / record / register someone or something.
The reflexive form записаться means that you yourself get registered for something.

In medical contexts, записаться к врачу is the standard way to say:

• to make an appointment with a doctor
• to book oneself in to see a doctor

So:

• записаться к стоматологу = to make an appointment with the dentist

This is one of those cases where the reflexive form is just the normal word choice in Russian.

The preposition к means to / toward / to see in many contexts, and it requires the dative case.

So:

• стоматолог → nominative
• к стоматологу → dative after к

In healthcare contexts, Russian commonly uses:

• идти к врачу — to go to the doctor
• записаться к врачу — to make an appointment with the doctor
• пойти к стоматологу — to go to the dentist

So к стоматологу literally means to the dentist, but in practice it often means to see the dentist.

Пораньше means a bit earlier or sooner.

In this sentence, it usually means:

• better to make the appointment sooner rather than later

It does not necessarily mean earlier in the morning. It more often means earlier than one otherwise might.

Compare:

• Давай встретимся пораньше — Let’s meet a bit earlier
• Лучше уйти пораньше — Better to leave a bit earlier
• Лучше записаться к стоматологу пораньше — Better to book the dentist sooner

The prefix по- here often gives a softer, moderate sense: a little earlier rather than much earlier.

Yes, it is a very common Russian pattern.

Structure:

• Не то чтобы X, но Y

Meaning:

• It’s not really that X, but Y
• Not exactly X, but Y
• I wouldn’t say X, but Y

It is used when the speaker wants to be nuanced or avoid sounding too strong.

Examples:

• Не то чтобы я устал, но хочу домой.
  It’s not that I’m really tired, but I want to go home.

• Не то чтобы фильм плохой, но второй раз смотреть не хочется.
  It’s not exactly that the film is bad, but I don’t want to watch it a second time.

In your sentence, the speaker is saying: the tooth is not in terrible pain, but there is still enough concern to act.

Because но means but, and it links two clauses or two contrasting parts of the sentence. In Russian, a comma is normally used before но.

So:

• Не то чтобы у меня очень болит зуб, но лучше записаться...

The comma marks the contrast:

• not really severe pain, but it is still better to make an appointment

This is standard punctuation.

Yes, that is possible.

Compare:

• лучше записаться к стоматологу — it’s better to make an appointment with the dentist
• мне лучше записаться к стоматологу — I had better make an appointment with the dentist

Adding мне makes the advice more explicitly about me.
Without мне, the sentence is a little more impersonal, but the context still clearly shows that the speaker means themselves.

So the original version sounds natural and idiomatic. Russian often leaves out words like мне when they are obvious from context.

Yes, стоматолог is the standard modern word for dentist.

You may also see:

• зубной врач — literally tooth doctor

Both are understandable, but стоматолог is very common in everyday Russian, especially in clinics, forms, and neutral speech.

So:

• записаться к стоматологу sounds completely normal and standard.

The sentence sounds:

• natural
• cautious
• mildly concerned
• practical

The speaker is basically saying:

• the problem is not dramatic
• but it is still wise not to ignore it

That tone comes from the combination of:

• Не то чтобы... — softening, avoiding exaggeration
• но лучше... — practical conclusion
• пораньше — suggesting action sooner rather than later

So it feels like calm, sensible everyday speech.