BONE REMODELING IN DENTAL ERUPTION AND SHEDDING 



3^25 



N 



'^-- 





Fig. 4. A portion of the tooth germ (top) is separated from the bony crypt 

 (bottom) by a wide zone of loose, almost edematous connective tissue. (X 67.) 



Spaced trabeculae of embryonic bone (Fig. 5), while in areas or 

 periods of slower growth, surface apposition of bone can be seen. 

 The extent as well as the direction of migration of teeth into the 

 oral cavity is intimately related to the apposition pattern of bone 

 in the crypt. 



Functional Adaptation 



After the tooth erupts and comes into function, the remodeling 

 of the bone of the crypt, now called the socket, continues. It is, 

 however, much less marked. In man, fully erupted teeth undergo 

 wear on their occlusal, anterior (mesial), and posterior (distal) 

 surfaces. This wear is accompanied by an anterior (mesial) migra- 

 tion of all human teeth. The migration is associated with a charac- 

 teristic remodeling pattern in the socket. It consists of bone apposi- 



