Exam 3 Review:  Chapter 23:  Oral Cavity III - Teeth & Gums

gingivae - The firm, fleshy mucosal tissue covering the alveolar parts of either jaw (maxillae and mandible) and enveloping the necks of the teeth; they are lined by a wet stratified squamous epithelium.  nickname - gums.

periodontal ligament - The dense fibrous connective tissue surrounding the root of a tooth which anchors it into the socket = alveolus of the alveolar process of either jaw (maxillae and mandible); it forms a type of immovable joint (synarthrosis) termed a gomphosis.

dentin - The main, mineralized (calcium salts, e.g., hydroxyapatite) part of a tooth, beneath the enamel and surrounding the pulp chamber and root canal(s); it is a living tissue capable of limited growth and repair; it is intermediate in density and hardness between bone and enamel.

pulp cavity - The central cavity of a tooth, within the dentin, containing the pulp (including the root canal).

pulp - The loose fibrous connective tissue forming the inner structure of a tooth and containing nerves, blood vessels and lymphatic vessels.

enamel - The external mineralized (calcium salts, e.g., hydroxyapatite) white part of a tooth, covering the dentin of the crown of the tooth; it is a not living tissue and is incapable of repair; it is more dense and harder than bone and dentin.

dentitions - The sets of teeth which follow one another in a developmental sequence and differ in type, form, number, and arrangement;  humans have two such sets of teeth, the primary teeth = deciduous teeth and the permanent teeth.

primary teeth = deciduous teeth - The first set of teeth, comprising a total of 20, which erupt between the mean ages of 6 and 28 months of age; they are shed and replaced by corresponding permanent teeth over a period of a decade or more; they participate in the mechanical digestion of food and in the articulation of speech.  nicknames - milk teeth, baby teeth.

permanent teeth - The second set of teeth which erupt following the eruption of the primary teeth, and typically persist into old age; there are 32 in all, including 4 incisors, 2 canines, and 4 premolars and 6 molars in each jaw; the 12 molars in the permanent dentition do not replace primary teeth; they participate in the mechanical digestion of food and in the articulation of speech.

mastication - The first phase of mechanical digestion of food which occurs in the mouth where the jaws and teeth, assisted by the tongue, bite and grind the food and mix it with saliva, softening the food enough to form a bolus for swallowing.  nickname - chewing.

bolus - A soft moist mass of chewed food within the mouth or esophagus.

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