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

Scientists studying dental plaque found that interfering with the chemical signals bacteria use to communicate can change which species thrive, potentially shifting the community toward bacteria associated with better oral health.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

Dahlia Lithwick: In a country that historically did beheadings, hangings, all sorts of objectively gross executions, the decision was made somewhere along the line to medicalize executions, to make it look like dental surgery.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

New York Times writer Eli Tan used it to call his dental insurer and wait on hold for a human representative to come on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Supplemental offerings, including hearing, dental and vision benefits, are expected to remain stable.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

“I don’t think your grandparents envisioned an accb dental death when they made this request. But we’ll make the best of it.”

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

Polly had initiated him in the mysteries of a discovery of mine, that it is not necessary to finish your sentence in a crowd, but by a sort of mumble, omitting sibilants and dentals.

From The Best American Humorous Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe

Diacritical marks intended to distinguish between the various sibilants, dentals, nasals, and so forth, of the Arabic and Sanskrit alphabets, have been purposely omitted.

From Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official by William Sleeman

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

Of what available value reputation, unless wedded to power, dentals, or place?

From Mardi: and A Voyage Thither, Vol. II by Herman Melville

These dentals are filled with the round dots that stand singly in the preceding cases.

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