dental
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the teeth.
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of or relating to dentistry or a dentist.
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Phonetics.
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(of a speech sound) articulated with the tongue tip touching the back of the upper front teeth or immediately above them, as French t.
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alveolar, as English t.
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noun
adjective
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of or relating to the teeth
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of or relating to dentistry
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phonetics
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pronounced or articulated with the tip of the tongue touching the backs of the upper teeth, as for t in French tout
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(esp in the phonology of some languages, such as English) another word for alveolar
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noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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."
Vocabulary lists containing dental
Body Language: Dent, Dont ("Tooth")
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 6–November 12, 2021
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carn (flesh), derm (skin), dent (tooth), os (bone)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A doctorate in dental surgery, a higher-paying field, is estimated to cost $128,547 for this coming school year, USC estimates.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026
Medicare Advantage, which offers other perks such as hearing, dental and vision coverage, currently costs the government more per beneficiary than traditional Medicare.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 27, 2026
UV light is used for air purification, curing resins in 3D printing, hardening gels in dental fillings, and even applications such as nail treatments.
From Science Daily • Jun. 26, 2026
While Straumann is an outperformer in the dental sector, uncertainty in China and the U.S. might cap potential valuation gains, the analysts add.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026
Trout was talking to a Maggie White, who had given up being a dental assistant to become a homemaker for an optometrist.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
