Tooth Structure Flashcards
What creates enamel and where are they located?
Ameloblasts, which are located at the junction between the enamel and the dentine (the amelodentinal junction)
What is enamel made of?
Made of 96% calcium hydroxyapatite crystals
What creates dentine and where are these cells located?
Odontoblasts which are situated between the pulp and the dentine. Secondary dentine can be created if dentine is damaged.
What forms the bulk of the tooth?
Dentine
What is dentine covered by?
Enamel at the crown of the tooth and cementum at the roots of the tooth
Why is dentine elastic in structure?
Because it consists of tubules
How are the periodontal fibrils attached to the tooth?
The cementum attaches them
What is the pulp made of?
Blood vessels and nerve fibres
What is the pulps use?
To provide vitality, nutrition and sensitivity to the tooth
How do the nerves and blood enter the tooth?
Through the apical foramen
What parts of the tooth change with age?
The cementum can become thicker, the pulp chamber can narrow and secondary dentine can form
What is the alveolar process?
The ridge of bone containing the teeth and sockets
What is the alveolar process made of?
2 types of bone
- hard compact bone called the lamina dura
- spongy porous bone called the cancellous bone (this allows nerves and blood through)
What do the periodontal ligaments do?
Suspend the teeth in their sockets and allow a small amount of movement to prevent the teeth breaking under pressure.
What is the epithelial attachment?
Fibres that attach the gum margin to the tooth at the enameldentinal junction.
