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S. N. BHASKAR 



through modehng and internal reconstruction bones are adapted to 

 the functional stresses placed upon them. 



Like the rest of the skeleton, the mammalian jaws are subjected 

 to external and internal remodeling. The process in the jaws, how- 

 ever, is much more dramatic and precise and has more far-reaching 

 effects than in the other bones. This is because the development, 

 eruption, functioning, and shedding of teeth are intimately con- 

 nected with, and are in part dependent upon, the internal remodel- 

 ing in the maxilla and the mandible. This interrelationship is the 

 subject of the present discussion. 



Bone Remodeling during Dental Eruption 



The presence of the epithelial organs, the tooth germs, within the 

 maxilla and the mandible is a unique anatomic feature of these 

 bones ( Fig. 1 ) . There are 52 such structures within the human jaws. 



Fig. 1. Frontal section through the maxiha of a fetus 8 months in itfero. 

 Note eight tooth germs in various stages of development. ( X 6. ) 



The growth and development of each of these organs is somewhat 

 similar to that of the others, but the period of development varies 

 greatly from tooth to tooth. Odontogenesis, or tooth development, 

 begins in liter o and is not completed for almost two decades. During 

 this long period, tooth germs grow in size, erupt, function, and 



