ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dental

adj. · n.
US //ˈdɛnəɫ// UK //dˈɛntəl// den·tal
  1. 1 relating to teeth (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate Medicine

    relating to your teeth or the care of your teeth.

    relating to the teeth or the medical practice of dentistry.

    Example

    You should go for a dental check-up at least once a year.

    Example

    The government introduced a new subsidy to help low-income families afford essential dental treatment and preventative care.
  2. 2 linguistics (adj.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical

    describes a sound made by touching your tongue against your upper teeth.

    describing a consonant articulated with the tip or blade of the tongue against the upper front teeth.

    Example

    The 'th' sound in English is a dental consonant.

    Example

    In many languages, dental consonants are distinguished from alveolar ones by the precise point of contact between the tongue and the upper teeth.

    Usage

    Used in phonetics to describe sounds like the 'th' in 'thin'.

  3. 3 animal tooth cleaning (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Medicine

    a professional cleaning of an animal's teeth by a vet.

    a procedure involving the cleaning, scaling, and polishing of an animal's teeth, typically performed under anaesthesia.

    Example

    The vet recommended a dental for the dog to prevent gum disease.

    Example

    The cat required a full dental after the veterinarian discovered significant tartar buildup and several fractured premolars during the annual exam.
Origin

Borrowed from Middle French dental or Late Latin dentālis, from dēns (“a tooth”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 19, 2026