Components of the Teeth - Dentine and Pulp Flashcards
(151 cards)
give a brief outline on dentine and its features
dentine forms the bulk of the tooth, and is harder than both bone and cementum. it is softer than enamel.
it has great compressive and tensile strength. it is permeable, contains cell processes (making it a living tissue) and is yellowish in colour
describe the importance of the compressive and tensile strength of dentine
it is important for the cushioning of enamel
explain how dentine is permeable
it contains tubules. if the dentine is exposed, any material that can be exposed to the dentine will pass through it and go to the pulp. the permeability of the dentine depends on the depth
give a breakdown of the different components of dentine
- hydroxyapatite makes up about 70% of the weight, and 50% of the volume
- water makes up about 10% weight, 20% volume
- organic matrix makes up about 20% weight and 30% volume
what are the different contents of the dentinal tubules
odontoblast processes, unmyelinated nerve terminals, dendritic cells, and dentinal fluid
give a brief description of pulp and its contents
- pulp is the connective tissue “core” of the tooth.
- it contains cells, extracellular components, nerves, blood vessels and lymphatics
what cells are found in the pulp of the tooth
odontoblasts, fibroblasts, defence cells
what are the extracellular components of the dental pulp
fibres like collagen and oxytalan
the matrix, which includes proteoglycans, chondroitin, dermatan
what nerves are found in the pulp of the tooth
the peripheral nerve which is innervated by one of the trigeminal nerves
what are the different functions of dental pulp
nutrition
dentine growth
dentine repair
defence (immune cells and the lymphatic drainage system)
neural functions (sensory and control of dentinogenesis)
what is the difference between weight composition and volume composition associated with
the density of the different components
what is the mineral content of dentine like compared to enamel
there is less mineral content within dentine
what is the content of water and organic content like in dentine compared to enamel
there is more water and organic content in dentine compared to enamel
what can loss of water content in a tooth lead to
fragility in the dry tooth, as it is the dehydrated dentine that leads to this fragility, rather than the enamel.
what can the pulp be thought of as in relation to the tooth
it is like the core, the vascular bed of the tooth
how can the strength of a tooth after a root canal be compared to the strength before
it is weaker post root canal due to the loss of hydration after the removal of the pulp. this makes the restorative process more complex
in what direction does dentine grow
the dentinal tubules grow inward over time
what can be understood by the term lumen
the lumen is the space within “tubes” of the body, like tubules in dentine, veins, arteries etc. it is essentially just space where things can move
how does the shape of dentine change over time
the tubules slowly grow inward
what are the different shapes of dentine tubules found within normal dentine
narrow and wide are both found within the dentin. wide tubules are close to the pulp, and narrow tubules are near to the ameli dentino junction
what are the different ways that slides can be prepared for viewing dental tubules
there are ground sections, and demineralised sections. in the demineralised sections, a special treatment like an acid or chelating agent is used to remove the mineral content, and this can use the 30% of organic content within the dentin to stain pinkish. for ground staining, it is sanded down from either side, and any cells will no longer be there, but it is possible to see where the cells were due to the presence of black dots
what are the s shapes of the tubules that can be viewed when looking at the cross section of dentine
these are the tubules which run from the amelo dentino junction to the pulp. there are primary and secondary curvatures of the dentine - the primary is the s shape that they adopt. secondary curvature are smaller curves that can be viewed on the primary curvature which show the changed direction of odontoblasts
why is it important to note that the dentinal tubules adopt an s shape when going from the amelo dentino junction to the pulp
because any damage will not be linear, since the damage will travel along the s shape.
can you see dentine and pulp as separate things
not really unless you are looking to a restorative procedure