Meaning & use
dental
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Connected with teeth, gums, or the work of a dentist.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: dental care, dental work. It is not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- dental care
- dental treatment
- dental health
Good dental care starts with brushing twice a day.
She needed expensive dental treatment after the accident.
The clinic offers free dental checks for children.
adjectivebefore a noun
Used for or worn on the teeth, as with floss, braces, or a plate.
Grammar: Also before a noun; the noun names the object used on the teeth: dental floss, dental braces.
Patterns
- dental floss
- dental braces
- dental plate
He keeps dental floss in his desk drawer.
My sister wore dental braces for two years.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
In phonetics, describes a speech sound made with the tongue against the upper front teeth.
Grammar: A technical use in language study: a dental sound, a dental consonant.
Patterns
- a dental sound
- a dental consonant
In English, the 'th' sounds are dental.
Spanish has a dental sound written as 'd'.
Common combinations
- dental care
- Regular dental care prevents most tooth problems.
- dental surgery
- He had dental surgery to remove a wisdom tooth.
- dental hygienist
- The dental hygienist cleaned my teeth and checked my gums.
- dental insurance
- Does your job offer dental insurance?
- dental appointment
- I have a dental appointment on Friday morning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- oral
- Broader: it covers the whole mouth, while dental is specifically about teeth and gums.
- orthodontic
- A narrower word for straightening teeth with braces; dental is the general term.
Word family
- dentist noun
- A doctor who treats teeth and gums.
- dentistry noun
- The medical field of treating teeth.
- denture noun
- A removable set of false teeth.
- dental hygienist noun
- A trained person who cleans teeth professionally.
Commonly confused: dental or dentist? dental or mental?
dental vs dentist
Dentist is the person; dental is the adjective describing things to do with teeth or dentists.
dental vs mental
These sound similar but mental relates to the mind, while dental relates to teeth.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'dental' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Dental' is an adjective used before a noun, so 'a dental appointment' is correct. The other options use it as if it were a person or a thing, which is wrong; the person is a 'dentist'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dental”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.