Very timely post, as I was suffering from jaw pain and I was thinking how to communicate it to dentist.
I went to the one and she started hitting my teeth one by one. While doing so, she was asking is it hurting, I kept saying no. She then made an other round, by hitting harder, so I had to say yes, it's hurting here. She looked happy to reveal and confirmed by asking, Tooth No. 6 is hurting?
After a thorough checkup she reached to the conclusion that I need some 'cleaning'. I brush daily, twice a day, I told her. Therefore, before going for cleaning (which I didn't ask how much money it will take) I want to try some Mouth-wash. She said Okay, and gave me some antibiotics.
Luckily, the pain has gone and I won't need to go to a dentist in Beijing at least till near future.