A system of dental surgery / by Sir John Tomes.

  • John Tomes
Date:
1887
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A system of dental surgery / by Sir John Tomes. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    102/808 page 86
    attention to the conditions under which the alveolar pro- cesses are formed, and to the laws which regulate the growth of the jaws. Devdifpment of the alveolar processes; in connection tcitlt second dentition.—In the earlier pages, it was stated that the alveolar processes are formed after the dental papilla; are developed, and tliat at the time of birth they have risen up to the level of the developing teeth. Within two or three months the}' arch over and nearly enclose the teeth, thereby evincing a more rapid rate of growth than tlie teeth them- selves. When the teeth are ready for eruption, the anterior wall of each alveolus is absorbed to the extent of ;djout half its whole depth. The teeth emerge, and the alveolar pro- cesses again commence to grow ; but not as in the former cases, more rapidly than the teeth. They now keep pace with the teeth. At the time the develo})ment of the several teeth is conmicnced, the papilla; are placed at their ultimate depth in the jaws. They do not grow into, but up from the maxillfc, and the alveoli grow with them. At the period of eruption the lower end of the truncated and unfinished root reaches to the bottom of the socket, the position of which, as regards deptli, is not changed with the gradual lengthen- ing of the root of the tooth. After emergence, the depth of the alvecilus is equal to the length of the root of the inclosed tooth, the subsequent growth of the root at its base being equalled by the develo])ment of the alveolus at its free edge. When the ])ermanent teeth arc ready to emerge, the process of absorption is again called into rc(]uisition, and the labial wall of each alveolus is, in the anterior part of the jaws, removed, the loss of bone being extended to a point corresponding to the neck of the emerging tooth. This condition is shown in Figs. 31 and .'^8 ; but the accom- ]janying illustrations exhibit in a remarkable manner the dependency of alveolar on dental development. Tlie denti- tion is in many resjiects irregular ; but tlie point to which I would draw attention is tlie extremely broken line de-
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