Gomphosis is a joint that binds the teeth to bony sockets (dental alveoli) in the maxillary bone and mandible. The fibrous connection between a tooth and its socket is a periodontal ligament. Specifically, the connection is made between the maxillary or mandible to the cementum of the tooth.
The motion of a gomphosis is very minimal, though considerable movement can be achieved over time--the basis of using braces to realign teeth. The joint can be considered a synarthrosis[1] or an amphiarthrosis.[2]
The gomphosis is the only joint-type in which a bone does not join another bone, as teeth are not technically bone. In modern, more anatomical, joint classification, the gomphosis is simply considered a fibrous joint because the tissue linking the structures is ligamentous.
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