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Cementum is a specialized calcified substance covering the root of a tooth. Cementum is excreted by cells called cementoblasts within the root of the tooth and is thickest at the root apex. Its coloration is yellowish and it is softer than enamel
Tooth enamel

Tooth enamel is the hardest and most highly mineralized substance of the body, and with dentin, cementum, and Pulp is one of the four major tissues which make up the tooth in vertebrates....
 and dentin
Dentin

Dentin is a calcified tissue of the body, and along with tooth enamel, cementum, and pulp is one of the four major components of teeth. Usually, it is covered by enamel on the crown and cementum on the root and surrounds the entire pulp....
 due to being less mineralized.

Cementen's main role is to anchor the tooth by attaching it via the periodontal ligament
Periodontal ligament

The periodontal ligament, commonly abbreviated as the PDL is a group of specialized connective tissue fibers that essentially attach a tooth to the alveolar bone within which it sits....
s. It also plays an important role in forming new teeth.






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Cementum is a specialized calcified substance covering the root of a tooth. Cementum is excreted by cells called cementoblasts within the root of the tooth and is thickest at the root apex. Its coloration is yellowish and it is softer than enamel
Tooth enamel

Tooth enamel is the hardest and most highly mineralized substance of the body, and with dentin, cementum, and Pulp is one of the four major tissues which make up the tooth in vertebrates....
 and dentin
Dentin

Dentin is a calcified tissue of the body, and along with tooth enamel, cementum, and pulp is one of the four major components of teeth. Usually, it is covered by enamel on the crown and cementum on the root and surrounds the entire pulp....
 due to being less mineralized.

Cementen's main role is to anchor the tooth by attaching it via the periodontal ligament
Periodontal ligament

The periodontal ligament, commonly abbreviated as the PDL is a group of specialized connective tissue fibers that essentially attach a tooth to the alveolar bone within which it sits....
s. It also plays an important role in forming new teeth. Hence, its bottom surface is tangent to the periodontal ligaments running through the jaw (via collagen
Collagen

Collagen is the main protein of connective tissue in animals and the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content....
 fibers), and the upper portion of the surface is firmly cemented to the dentin of the tooth. It also meets the enamel lower on the tooth at the cemento-enamel junction. Here the cementum is known as acellular cementum due to its lack of cellular components, and covers approximately 1/3-1/2 of the root. The more permeable form of cementen, cellular cementum, covers 1/3-1/2 of the root apex, where it binds to the dentin. There is also a third type of cementum, afibrillar cementum, which sometimes extends onto the enamel of the tooth.

The chemical makeup of cementum is similar to that of bone, but it lacks vascularization. Volumetrically, it is approximately 45% inorganic material (mainly hydroxyapatite), 33% organic material (mainly collagen
Collagen

Collagen is the main protein of connective tissue in animals and the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content....
 type1) and 22% water.

See also

  • Head and neck anatomy
    Head and neck anatomy

    Head and neck anatomy focuses on the structures of the head and neck of the human body, including the brain, bones, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, glands, nose, mouth, teeth, tongue, and throat....


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