Human tooth intersect with each other. Their length is dictated by the radius of the tooth. The three dimensional configuration of the dentinal tubules is genetically determined. Cementum is a specialized bone like substance covering the root of a tooth. It is approximately 45% inorganic material (mainly hydroxyapatite), 33% organic material (mainly collagen) and 22% water. Cementum is excreted by cementoblasts within the root of the tooth and is thickest at the root apex. Its coloration is yellowish and it is softer than dentin and enamel. The principal role of cementum is to serve as a medium by which the periodontal ligaments
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