dentist
Americannoun
-
dentists
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dentist
1750–60; < French dentiste, equivalent to dent tooth ( see dent 2) + -iste -ist
Explanation
A dentist is a doctor who specializes in teeth, gums, and the mouth. If you get a bad toothache, you should probably go to the dentist to make sure you don't have a cavity. When you visit the dentist, you might have your teeth and gums examined and cleaned, or you may need surgery for an impacted wisdom tooth or x-rays to make sure you don't have cavities. Dentists are health care professionals who attend dental school and train for several years before practicing. Dentist comes from the French dentiste, from dent. or "tooth."
Vocabulary lists containing dentist
Body Language: Dent, Dont ("Tooth")
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ist
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A cavity doesn't always have to mean drilling, injections, or an uncomfortable visit to the dentist.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
"We walk around completely afraid, constantly on alert," said Caroline Lo Bianco, 36, a dentist who had her phone ripped from her hands through the window of an Uber when she was seven months pregnant.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Something like a million people vote in this event every year, according to the daytime news segment that I caught at the dentist the other afternoon while getting a tooth cleaning.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
Voskanyan had studied in Armenia to be a dentist and later worked a variety of jobs in America including in construction, jewelry and as a dental technician.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Finding a dentist is not as easy as you might imagine.
From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo
Until approximately a decade ago, many dentists routinely cleaned implants with the same metal scalers used to remove deposits from natural teeth.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
He warns that unless ministers "fix and fund NHS dentistry", more dentists could choose to reduce their NHS work or leave the service altogether.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
The findings come as ministers have pledged to tackle so-called "dental deserts", but dentists say the current deal is not viable.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas have developed a technology that could make it possible for dentists to produce permanent 3D-printed zirconia restorations in a single day.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
In my mind was a picture of the dentists white wall phone.
From "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
