dental

[den-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.

noun

1. Phonetics.,  a dental sound.

dental

/ 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

noun

1. phonetics a dental consonant

dental

1. Relating to the teeth.

Other Word Forms

• dentality noun
• dentally adverb
• postdental adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dental¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dental¹

C16: from Medieval Latin dentālis, from Latin dens tooth

Example Sentences

A lot of people will need expensive dental work in their later years.

Read more on Barron's

For example, she passionately extols a program for free children’s dental services because a good smile leads to increased confidence, which statistics show can ultimately boost graduation rates.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Epstein supplied their housing, managed their immigration papers, arranged medical and dental care, and funded even basic personal needs such as haircuts and clothing.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Poor dental hygiene can led to tooth decay and gum infections, which can lead to tooth loss and gum disease.

Read more on BBC

She decided to skip dental insurance during open enrollment this month to mitigate increases to her overall premiums, and she downgraded her home insurance policy to a higher-deductible option with lower yearly payments.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal