Its common names refer to its gelatinous consistency and hydnoid (toothed) undersurface.

The gelatinous fruit bodies are whitish to light grayish or tan, 2–5 centimetres (3⁄4–2 inches) wide, with teeth up to 2 millimetres (1⁄16 in) long.

[2] The species was thought to be cosmopolitan, but recent DNA evidence suggests that it is confined to Europe and northern Asia, with superficially similar (but distinct) taxa elsewhere.

[5] The North American species can be found near both coasts, between November– February on the west and July–September in other places.

[2] The jelly tooth is edible, even raw,[6] and it is consumed as a wild food in parts of Bulgaria, Russia, and Siberia.