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Tooth Anatomy

Tooth Anatomy

The human tooth enables us to eat a variety of foods, speak clearly, and even aid in shaping our faces. Teeth are composed of various elements that work together. Here's a detailed look at the anatomy of a human tooth.
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or grinding food.

Teeth

Teeth

The formation of teeth, also known as odontogenesis, is a complex process that begins in utero, around the sixth week of embryonic development. There are three stages to this process: the bud stage, the cap stage, and the bell stage.
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin and...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Establishing Organoids from Human Tooth as a Powerful Tool Toward Mechanistic Research and Regenerative Therapy

Establishing Organoids from Human Tooth as a Powerful Tool Toward Mechanistic Research and Regenerative Therapy

Published on: April 13, 2022

Crown formation during tooth development and tissue engineering.

Adnane Nait Lechguer¹, Sabine Kuchler-Bopp, Herve Lesot

¹INSERM UMR 595 Faculte de medecine, 11, rue Humann Strasbourg, France.

Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part B, Molecular and Developmental Evolution

|January 10, 2009

Summary

Tooth crown engineering requires understanding dental tissue interactions. Mesenchyme guides tooth development, but bone marrow-derived cells cannot support complex crown formation.

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Last Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Establishing Organoids from Human Tooth as a Powerful Tool Toward Mechanistic Research and Regenerative Therapy

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Published on: April 13, 2022

Isolation of Epithelial Cells from Human Dental Follicle

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Use of Trowell-Type Organ Culture to Study Regulation of Dental Stem Cells

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Published on: July 8, 2021

Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Tissue Engineering
Dental Research

Background:

Tooth crown engineering faces challenges including morphology-function relationships, organ growth compatibility with scaffolds, and sourcing non-dental cells.
The primary enamel knot (PEK) is crucial for signaling tooth crown morphogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate PEK formation and fate in vitro using dental tissues and bone marrow-derived cells (BMDC).
To understand the role of mesenchyme in controlling enamel knot cell fate and tooth cusp development.

Main Methods:

Heterotopic reassociation of embryonic day 14 (ED14) incisor and molar enamel organs with respective mesenchymes.
Reassociation of ED14 molar enamel organs with BMDC.
Analysis of PEK formation, cell fate (apoptosis), and cusp development.

Main Results:

A PEK formed in cultured heterotopic dental tissue reassociations.
Mesenchyme dictates PEK cell fate (incisor/molar specific) and influences cusp development (single/multiple).
BMDC, while potentially differentiating into odontoblast- or ameloblast-like cells, failed to support multicusp tooth development or PEK maintenance/stimulation.

Conclusions:

Dental mesenchyme is essential for directing tooth crown morphogenesis and PEK regulation.
BMDC are insufficient for supporting complex tooth crown development, highlighting the need for specific dental cell sources or advanced bioengineering strategies.