Alveoli in the mouth: where are the upper and lower (pictures and photos), alveolar processes

The roots of the teeth are fixed in the jaws in special cells called alveoli. The word is translated from Latin as "deepening, cell".

Keeping the dental units in a constant position, preventing them from moving while talking, hitting and chewing food is the main task of the wells.

What are dental alveoli and where are they in the mouth?

Alveoli are bony formations in the lower and upper jaw that are used to support teeth. The edges of the jaws are a series of grooves in which the dental units are attached. The joints of the tooth root with the jaw alveoli are called alveolar processes.

They are located in the mouth under the gum tissue, where the dental roots go. Their number corresponds to the number of dental units in a person, that is, 16 on each jaw. The upper alveoli are located in the palate, more precisely, along the edge of the upper jaw in the mouth, and are similar to the lower ones. The structure of each hole depends on the characteristics and configuration of the tooth.

The location of the alveoli in the mouth in the photo:

The basis of the cells is spongy bone tissue, from the outside they are covered with a cortical plate. The nutrition of the organ is supported by small blood vessels located in the spongy tissue. A part of the spongy tissue is also a network of nerves and special cellular structures that regulate the balance of growth, development and degradation in it.

During life, alveolar cells change their appearance and structure. The spongy tissue adapts to the shape and size of the growing dental unit, ensuring its retention in place of attachment. The alveoli of the incisor differs from the socket molar. Dental units with several roots have partitions in the alveoli, partitions of a different structure separate the roots of neighbors.

After the loss or extraction of a tooth, there is no need for an organ to hold it, and it disappears.

Functional purpose

The main task of the alveoli is to keep the teeth in the jaw in a constant position. This ensures the evenness of the dentition and the ability to fully chew food. The load on the teeth is great and they must be firmly rooted in the jaw.

Cushioning when chewing is provided by fabrics periodontium, which are elastic and play the role of a layer between the hard structures of bones and teeth. Elastic fibers penetrate the bone tissue and alveoli, connecting and fastening them together.

An even row and firmness of fixation affects the clarity of speech and diction. After the loss of an incisor, molar or when the elements of the dentition are wobbling, distortions of diction appear - lisp.

Diagram of the structure of the dentoalveolar segment in the photo:

Forming holes

Organs begin to form during the period of intrauterine development of the fetus, their origin is part of embryogenesis. During this period, the anlage of the tooth socket is a small groove with an opening towards the mouth. It is surrounded by blood vessels and nervous tissue.

Embryos milk teeth are formed at 8-10 weeks of gestation, permanent units begin to develop by the end of the fourth month. From this time until the loss of milk teeth, the roots of both are in the bone alveolus together. They are separated from each other by a solid plate.

Only when a small tooth emerges from the tubercle, an alveolus begins to form, walls of bone tissue grow, tightly surrounding the root, adapting to its structure and size.

After the loss of the dairy neighbor (at 6-10 years old), a permanent tooth becomes a complete owner, it occupies the entire hole, and it adjusts its shape to fix and hold it.

With age, the composition and quality of tissues deteriorates, bone resorption increases, the elasticity of the periodontium is lost, the dentition is disturbed, and individual elements are often loosened. The bony alveolus overgrows after removal or loss of a tooth, since there is no need for it.

Pathologies leading to defects of the alveoli

Among the diseases that can affect the tooth sockets, the most characteristic are the following:

1. Trauma. They arise from blows, dental manipulations, habits of holding hard objects in the mouth. They are accompanied by pain, swelling, bleeding. When dislocated, the alveoli are injured, the tooth is displaced from the cell. The hole itself is deformed. The root often goes into the wall and destroys the alveolus, dropping below the rest of the dentition.
2. Atrophy. The organ is deformed when a dental unit is lost and prosthetics is not performed on time. The walls collapse due to osteomyelitis, periodontitis.
3. Congenital structural anomalies.
4. Alveolitis - the most common disease of the holes. It is provoked by tooth extraction and infection of the wound surface.

Alveolitis is observed in almost 3% of cases, especially when wisdom teeth are removed (up to 28%) (according to materials dissertation by N. G.).

It is caused by:

• wound infection from adjacent carious cavities;
• washing out the thrombus formed at the site of the wound when rinsing;
• poor antiseptic treatment of the wound site.

The inflammation starts on the 3-5th day with severe pain, a rise in temperature. It is accompanied by a halitosis and a bitter aftertaste. With a significant amount of inflammation, the submandibular lymph nodes increase and facial edema is observed.

The condition of the alveolar cells largely determines the strength of the teeth. Those that swing more easily deteriorate, gaps appear around them in the gums, in which food debris accumulates, which leads to infection.

A person should eat food of different hardness. Chewing strengthens tissues and improves blood supply. You cannot refuse solid food. It is also important to get enough calcium and vitamins from food. If teeth become shaky, you should immediately contact your dentist to find out the cause and undergo appropriate treatment.