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

The American Heart Association's Healthy Smiles, Healthy Hearts™ initiative supports dental professionals with educational resources about the connection between oral and cardiovascular health.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026

Union workers make minimal contributions toward their medical, dental and vision coverage, and get a pension plan based on their years of work and salary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

At the other, forensic specialists use dental records to help identify victims whose bodies have become difficult to recognise.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

Medi-Cal is the state’s version of subsidized health insurance for low-income Californians and provides medical, dental and vision care for an estimated 14.5 million people, or about one-third of the state population.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

Close to six feet tall—okay, five ten and a half—with good, straight teeth thanks to some expensive dental work.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

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 Sleeman, William

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

From Imaginary Conversations and Poems A Selection by Landor, Walter Savage

Those made by the lips are termed labials; those by pressing the tongue against the teeth, dentals; those by the tongue, linguals.

From Hygienic Physiology : with Special Reference to the Use of Alcoholic Drinks and Narcotics by Steele, Joel Dorman

Young children habitually confuse dentals and palatals, thus a child may be heard to say that he has "dot a told."

From The Romance of Names by Weekley, Ernest

But Babbalanja declared, that long since he must have drawn his own dentals, and bagged them with the rest.

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