dentistry

D2E1N1T1I1S1T1R1Y4
/ˈdɛntɪstɹi/

noun

The field of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions of the teeth and oral cavity.

Similar
clinicdentist's officesurgerydental medicineodontology
CommonScrabble 13

Meanings

noundentistry (usually uncountable, plural dentistries)

plural dentistries

  1. uncountableusuallyThe field of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions of the teeth and oral cavity.

    A corporation may not operate a dentistry office unless all of its stockholders are licensed to practice dentistry.

    1957, West's Wisconsin statutes annotated, West Publishing Company
    3 more examples

    Some provision should be made for the truly suffering poor, and also for our present students of dentistry to learn something about dental surgery before commencing a profession which has almost become a science.

    1905, Australian journal of dentistry, volume 9, Australian Dental Association, page 184

    He was born near Middleton in 1853, graduated from Mount Allison, and took his dentistry degree at Philadelphia in 1878.

    1997, P.B. Waite, The Lives of Dalhousie University, volume II: 1925-198, page 24

    Wig-workers were not the only tradesmen who practiced dentistry on the side, or "assumed the role" of dentist, as the arrival of a thespian dentist from London attests in this ad from Boston's Independent Chronicle and Universal Advertiser

    2000, James Wynbrandt, The excruciating history of dentistry, page 81
  2. uncountableusuallyOperations performed on teeth and adjoining areas such as drilling, filling cavities, and placing crowns and bridges.

    This patient is an out-of-town physician who had to wait until retirement to complete his dentistry. He had holding pattern type dentistry done to get him by.

    2011, Gregory J. Tarantola, Clinical Cases in Restorative and Reconstructive Dentistry, →ISBN
    1 more example

    POOR Australians are resorting to do-it-yourself dentistry, including filing their own teeth and attempting their own extractions, because of lengthy queues for public dental services.

    2009, Siobhain Ryan, “Poor access leads to DIY dentistry: dental checks”, in The Australian, sourced from Dow Jones Newswires
  3. countableusuallyA dental surgery, an operation on the teeth.

    I speak now only of your pet's bad breath. Dentistries will specifically improve the oral health of the pet as well as its overall health in the long term.

    2004, Gene Witiak, True Confessions of a Veterinarian: An Unconditional Love Story, page 83
    1 more example

    Dr. Landsberg, of Posen, states that when children's teeth are put in order by means of school dentistries, anaemia, one of the most frequent school diseases, will be greatly diminished.

    1908, in the report of the Second International Congress on School Hygiene, volume 2, page 516
  4. countableuncommonusuallyA place where dental operations are performed.

    The author could dilate at great length on the possibilities in plant groceries, restaurants, and dentistries.

    1918, Edward Bernard Benjamin, The larger liberalism, page 172
    2 more examples

    They are very fond of sweet things; and the ladies especially crowd the “candystores,” which are not less numerous than the dentistries—with which business they are intimately connected.

    1867, Macmillan's Magazine, volume 16, page 464

    As a first step, the law with be amended to prepare for the privatization of pharmacies and dentistries by end-2003.

    2003, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: First Review, →ISBN

    Synonyms: clinic, dentist's office, surgery

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA place where dental operations are performed.

Similar
clinicdentist's officesurgery

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe branch of medicine dealing with the anatomy and development and diseases of the teeth

Similar
dental medicineodontology
Broader
medicinemedical specialty
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Frenchdent
  2. Frenchdentiste
  3. Englishdentist
  4. Englishdentistry

From dentist + -ry.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian стоматология, стоматологична операция
  • стоматология (stomatologija)the field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
  • стоматологична операция (stomatologična operacija)dental surgery
  • стоматологична клиника (stomatologična klinika)place for performing dental operations
Dutch tandheelkunde
  • tandheelkundethe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
Finnish hammaslääketiede
  • hammaslääketiedethe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
French odontologie, dentisterie
  • odontologiethe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
  • dentisteriethe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
German Zahnmedizin, Zahnheilkunde
  • Zahnmedizinthe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
  • Zahnheilkundethe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
Hungarian fogászat, fogászat
  • fogászatthe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
  • fogászatoperations performed on teeth
  • fogkezelésoperations performed on teeth
Indonesian kedokteran gigi
  • kedokteran gigithe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
Malay pergigian
  • pergigianthe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
Māori mātai niho
  • mātai nihothe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
Polish dentystyka, stomatologia
  • dentystykathe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
  • stomatologiathe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
  • stomatologiaoperations performed on teeth
Portuguese odontologia
  • odontologiathe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
Romanian stomatologie
  • stomatologiethe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
Russian лечение зубов, стоматология
  • лечение зубов (lečenije zubov)the field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
  • стоматология (stomatologija)the field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
Slovak stomatológia
  • stomatológiathe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
Spanish odontología, dentistería
  • odontologíathe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
  • dentisteríathe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
  • dentística (Americanism)the field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
Swedish odontologi, tandvård
  • odontologithe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
  • tandvårdoperations performed on teeth
Tagalog dentisteriya, palangipinan
  • dentisteriyathe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
  • palangipinanthe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
Vietnamese nha khoa
  • nha khoathe field of medicine which studies and treats conditions of the teeth
Cite this entry
APA

dentistry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dentistry

MLA

“dentistry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dentistry. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dentistry,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dentistry.

Source: dentistry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.