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

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Etymology

Origin of dental

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

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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

Beyond its ability to regenerate enamel, the researchers emphasize that the technology was developed with practical dental applications in mind.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

If the approach proves successful in patients, it could fundamentally change how dentists address enamel loss, opening the possibility of rebuilding tooth surfaces that previously could only be protected or restored using conventional dental materials.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

Enamel deterioration is a major factor in tooth decay and contributes to dental problems that affect nearly half of the world's population.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

At those prices, the chips should come with a dental plan.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

I glance over at my dad, deeply involved in a conversation with Kareem’s dad—no doubt about the economy, lawn-mowing equipment, or the trend of teeth whitening at the dental practice he runs with my mom.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

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 Herman Melville

He then asked me to pick out the vowels, the consonants, the flats, the sharps, the aspirates, the labials, the palatals, the dentals, and the mutes.

From The Book of the Bush Containing Many Truthful Sketches Of The Early Colonial Life Of Squatters, Whalers, Convicts, Diggers, And Others Who Left Their Native Land And Never Returned by J. Macfarlane

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

He scatters labials, dentals, and gutturals in all directions.

From Talks on Talking by Grenville Kleiser

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 Ernest Weekley

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