Teeth

The teeth are located in sockets (alveoli) of the mandible and maxilla. The crown is the exposed part of the tooth (above the gums). Enamel covers the exposed surface of the tooth. It is nearly pure calcium and is the hardest substance in body. Deep to the enamel is dentin. Dentin is stronger than bone and extends into the root of the tooth.

The root is that part of the tooth that is beneath the gums. It consists of dentin and pulp, but no enamel. Dental pulp is the sensitive region of the tooth, containing nutritive and sensory connective tissue. The root canal is that part of the dental pulp that extends deep into the root. The apical foramen is an opening at the apex of the root through which nerves and blood vessels pass.

Gingiva are the gums. They consist of mucosal tissue overlying the bone of the mandible and maxilla. Cementum is the calcified substance that holds the root of the tooth in its socket. This joint is called a gomphosis. The fibrous connection between the bone and cementum is the periodontal ligament.

Dentition is the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. Deciduous teeth are the temporary teeth (primary dentition) of children. As a child matures, teeth erupt. This eruption results in the emergence of the secondary teeth (permanent teeth).