dental

American  

[den-tl] / ˈdɛn tl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the teeth.

2. of or relating to dentistry or a dentist.

3. Phonetics.

   1. (of a speech sound) articulated with the tongue tip touching the back of the upper front teeth or immediately above them, as French t.

   2. alveolar, as English t.

   3. interdental.

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noun

• dentals
  plural

1. Phonetics. a dental sound.

dental British  

/ ˈdɛntəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the teeth

2. of or relating to dentistry

3. phonetics

   1. pronounced or articulated with the tip of the tongue touching the backs of the upper teeth, as for t in French tout

   2. (esp in the phonology of some languages, such as English) another word for alveolar

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noun

1. phonetics a dental consonant

dental Scientific  

/ dĕn′tl /

1. Relating to the teeth.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dentality
  noun
• postdental
  adjective
• dentally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dentals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dental

1585–95; < Medieval Latin dentālis, equivalent to Latin dent- (stem of dēns ) tooth + -ālis -al ¹

Explanation

The adjective dental describes things that have something to do with teeth. Dental floss is the waxed string you use to clean between your teeth. A dental hygienist is the dentist's assistant, the one who cleans and polishes your teeth. When your dentist's office calls to remind you about your appointment, they might say, "You have a dental cleaning scheduled for next week." In phonetics, a dental is a sound that's made with your tongue touching your top teeth, like th-. In Middle French, dental means "of teeth," from the Latin dens, "tooth."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dental dentals

In exchange for narrower networks and stricter prior-authorization rules, enrollees can choose plans with extra benefits, such as dental and vision coverage, prepaid debit cards to buy healthy food, or transportation to the doctor.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

The government says that it is changing the dental contract and training more dentists in the areas most in need.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Same-day zirconia crowns are already offered in some dental practices, but they are typically produced by milling rather than 3D printing.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

NHS dental activity is 8% lower than it was pre Covid, while six in 10 adults have not seen an NHS dentist in two years.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

I noted a deliberate change in his accent—the softened hiss of the consonants in his words, the dental chh of West Bengali softening into the sibilant ss of the East.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The strong curve of the back, the dentals and dots, and the muzzle and mouth refer apparently to the same creature.

From Ancient art of the province of Chiriqui, Colombia Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1884-1885, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1888, pages 3-188 by William Henry Holmes

The scales are here represented by triangular dentals, which occupy the entire length of the back.

From Ancient art of the province of Chiriqui, Colombia Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1884-1885, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1888, pages 3-188 by William Henry Holmes

Another point to be observed is that the dentals t, d, n, l, require that the tongue touch the teeth, rather than the palate.

From The Roman Pronunciation of Latin Why we use it and how to use it by Frances Ellen Lord

I would not voluntarily be under his manifold rows of dentals.

From Imaginary Conversations and Poems A Selection by Walter Savage Landor

He scatters labials, dentals, and gutturals in all directions.

From Talks on Talking by Grenville Kleiser