| Alveolar process | |
|---|---|
 Anterior (frontal) portion of maxilla (white) and mandible (orange) cut away towards right (to depth of tooth roots, i.e. the alveolar region) | |
| Details | |
| System | Skeletal |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | os alveolaris |
| MeSH | D000539 |
| TA98 | A02.1.12.035 |
| TA2 | 791 |
| FMA | 59487 52897, 59487 |
| Anatomical terms of bone | |
The alveolar process (/ælˈviːələr, ˌælviˈoʊlər, ˈælviələr/)[1] is the portion of bone containing the tooth sockets on the jaw bones (in humans, the maxilla and the mandible). The alveolar process is covered by gums within the mouth, terminating roughly along the line of the mandibular canal. Partially comprising compact bone, it is penetrated by many small openings for blood vessels and connective fibres.
The bone is of clinical, phonetic and forensic significance.
- ^ Wells JC (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 9781405881180.