Ameloblast Ameloblast Ameloblasts are cells present only during tooth development that deposit tooth enamel, which is the hard outermost layer of the tooth forming the surface of the crown. Each ameloblast is a columnar cell approximately 4 micrometers in diameter, 40 micrometers in length and is hexagonal in cross section. The secretory end of the ameloblast ends in a six-sided pyramid-like projection known as the Tomes' process. The angulation of the Tomes' process is significant in the orientation of enamel rods, the basic unit of tooth enamel.Distal terminal bars are junctional complexes that separate the Tomes' processes from ameloblast proper. Ameloblasts
Human tooth development through cementum. NGF-R is present in the condensing ectomesenchymal cells of the dental papilla in the early cap stage tooth germ and plays multiple roles during morphogenetic and cytodifferentiation events in the tooth. There is a relationship between tooth agenesis and absence of the peripheral trigeminal nerve (see Hypodontia). All stages (bud, cap, bell, crown), growth and morphogenesis of the teeth are regulated by a protein called sonic hedgehog. Various phenotypic inputs modulate the size of the teeth. Parathyroid hormone is required for tooth eruption. The following tables present the development timeline of human teeth. Times for the initial calcification