▶Dental Structure

The anatomic crown of a tooth is the area covered in enamel above the cementoenamel junction (CEJ). The majority of the crown is composed of dentin with the pulp chamber in the center. The crown is within bone before eruption. After eruption, it is almost always visible. The anatomic root is found below the cementoenamel junction and is covered with cementum.

Alveolar bone

The alveolar process is the thickened ridge of bone that contains the tooth sockets on bones that bear teeth.

Lamina Dura

Lamina Dura is compact bone that lies adjacent to the periodontal ligament in the tooth socket. The lamina dura surrounds the tooth socket and provides the attachment surface with which the periodontal ligament joins to. An intact lamina dura is seen as a sign of healthy periodontium. Lamina dura, along with the periodontal ligament, plays an important role in bone remodeling and thus in orthodontic tooth movement.

Enamel

Tooth enamel is the hardest and most highly mineralized substance of the body, and with dentin, cementum, and dental pulp is one of the four major tissues which make up the tooth in vertebrates.

Dentin

Dentin is a calcified tissue of the body, and along with enamel, cementum, and pulp is one of the four major components of teeth.

Cementum

Cementum is a specialized calcified substance covering the root of a tooth. Cementum is excreted by cells called cementoblasts within the root of the tooth and is thickest at the root apex.

Periodontal Ligament

The periodontal ligament, commonly abbreviated as the PDL is a group of specialized connective tissue fibers that essentially attach a tooth to the alveolar bone within which it sits. These fibers help the tooth withstand the naturally substantial compressive forces which occur during chewing and remain embedded in the bone.

Pulp Chamber

The dental pulp is the part in the center of a tooth made up of living soft tissue and cells called odontoblasts.