Innervation of the teeth

Innervation of the teeth

The nerve supply to the teeth is from the mandibular and maxillary branches of the trigeminal nerve.

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Most of the calcium in the body (>99%) is present in the skeleton as calcium-phosphate complexes, primarily hydroxyapatite.

In all the teeth, nerve fibres enter the teeth through the apical foramen and pass through the vascular pulp to terminate in tubules in the dentine. These fibres are believed to be nociceptive.  Atubular dentine protects the nerve fibres on the occlusal surface of the teeth    (Barone et al., 1973, ¹).

The maxillary teeth     are innervated by the maxillary branch of the trigeminal nerve. It exits the optic foramen and runs along the base of the orbit to the caudal end of the alveolar bulla (Peña et al., 2020, ²). At this site, it divides into the supraorbital and infraorbital nerves. The supraorbital nerve supplies the apices of the maxillary cheek teeth (Barone et al., 1973, ¹). The infraorbital nerve runs along a groove that is medial and lateral to the alveolar bulla. The nerve exits the skull through the infraorbital foramen. Branches of the inferior alveolar nerve innervate the maxillary incisors and provide sensory innervation to the skin and buccal mucous membranes.

The mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve supplies the mandibular cheek teeth. A branch of this nerve, the inferior mandibular nerve, enters the mandibular foramen on the medial side of the mandible. It runs along the inferior alveolar canal in the cortical bone ventral to the mandibular cheek teeth. Branches of the inferior mandibular nerve supply the apices of the mandibular cheek teeth. The inferior nerve the divides into the mental and incisive nerves (Yong-Di et al., 2018, ³).  The incisive nerve supplies the mandibular incisors. The mental nerve exits the mandible through the mental foramen and provides sensation to the lower lip, buccal mucosa, and skin of the chin ventral to the mental foramen.

¹         Barone, R., Pavaux, C., Blin, P. C., & CuQ, P. (1973). Atlas d’Anatomie du lapin. Masson & Cie. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1271534/

²         Peña, T., Campoy, L., & de Matos, R. (2020). Investigation of a maxillary nerve block technique in healthy New Zealand white rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). American Journal of Veterinary Research, 81(11), 843–848. https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.81.11.843

³         Yong-Di, L., Zheng-Long, T., Jian-Qin, T., Dong-Xiang, W., & You-Li, C. (2018). Anatomy of the Inferior Alveolar Nerve in Rabbits and its Block Anesthesia. International Journal of Oral and Dental Health, 4(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.23937/2469-5734/1510051