1. She didn't go to a dentist.
2. She didn't go to see a dentist.
3. She didn't go to the dentist.
4. She didn't go to the dentist's.
5. She didn't go to the dentist's office.
(#4 is from #5, right? Does #3 mean "she went to the specific dentist whom she knows" or "she went to the dentist's office"? What are the differences among the sentences?)
All are essentially the same, but 1 and 2 could mean that she went to a dentist the speaker doesn't know, and maybe one she doesn't know either.
Saying "the dentist" implies that both of them know which dentist she went to.
1. "She didn't go to a dentist." - This sentence implies that she didn't go to any dentist. It simply states that she didn't see a dentist, without specifying any specific dentist or location.
2. "She didn't go to see a dentist." - This sentence is similar to the first one but adds the verb "see," which emphasizes the action of seeing a dentist. It still indicates that she didn't see any dentist, without specifying a particular one.
3. "She didn't go to the dentist." - This sentence implies that she didn't go to a specific dentist, but it is commonly understood to mean she didn't go to a dentist's office to receive dental treatment. While it doesn't explicitly specify the dentist's office, it is often the default assumption in this context.
4. "She didn't go to the dentist's." - This sentence suggests that she didn't go to a specific dentist's office. The possession ("dentist's") implies a specific dentist, indicating that she didn't visit the office associated with that specific dentist. It can also imply that she didn't go to any dentist's office, similar to sentence #3.
5. "She didn't go to the dentist's office." - This sentence is more specific, explicitly stating that she didn't go to the dentist's office. It implies that she didn't visit the location where dental treatment is typically provided by a specific dentist.
Regarding your question, sentence #4 does not directly follow or come from sentence #5. Sentence #4 is a shortened version of sentence #5, omitting the word "office," but retaining the possession ("dentist's") marker. The differences among these sentences lie in the level of specificity and location of the dental visit, with some variations in emphasis.