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

Many Advantage plans advertise extras like gym and dental benefits.

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Each participant underwent a dental exam to assess gum health.

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For decades, enrollment in the privatized version of Medicare surged as insurers chased growth with $0-premium plans that bundled in dental, vision and other perks.

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On the other hand, Medigap has other costs for health issues that Medicare does not cover, like dental, vision and hearing.

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"Once you're all settled, I can then pass you over to my dental manufacturer to brand your own teeth-whitening products. It's really cheap to do and the profit is insane," she said.

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