dental
Elementary (A2)
IPA: /ˈdɛn.təl/
KK: /ˈdɛntəl/
adjective
Definition
Related to the teeth or dentistry, including treatments and procedures for oral health.
Example
She needs to schedule a dental appointment for a check-up.
Conversation
I have a dental appointment tomorrow.
Oh, I hope it's just a routine check-up!
Yeah, I need to get my teeth cleaned and checked.
That sounds good — keeping up with dental care is important!
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
oral
tooth
dentate
Antonyms
nonoral
edentulous
unrelated
noun
Definition
A sound made by placing the tongue against the upper teeth, often found in languages as a type of consonant.
Example
In linguistics, the sound 't' in 'teeth' is an example of a dental consonant.
Conversation
Did you know that some languages have a specific dental sound?
Really? I had no idea that was a thing.
Yeah, it's interesting how dental consonants can change the way we speak.
Root Explanation
Dental → It is formed from "dent" (from Latin "dens, dentis", meaning tooth) and the suffix "-al" (meaning pertaining to). The word "dental" refers to anything pertaining to the teeth.
Memory Tip
Think of the Latin word for tooth, 'dens', to remember that 'dental' relates to teeth.
Visually Confused Words
edental
ental
bidental
rental
mental
entail
dietal
detail