The pattern and control of eruptive tooth movements.

Assumptions about eruptive tooth movements based on experience with adolescents may not be applicable to all ages. The eruptive process can be subdivided into six phases--three profunctional stages of individual tooth eruption (follicular growth, pre-emergent eruptive spurt, and postemergent eruptive spurt) and three postfunctional stages of the eruption of the entire dentition (juvenile occlusal equilibrium, circumpubertal occlusal eruptive spurt, and adult occlusal equilibrium). Differences in tooth-eruption rates in each of these phases result from variations in systemic and local factors. A series of working hypotheses which incorporate recent research into a theoretical explanation of the control of eruption during each stage is presented. Prior to emergence, the force of eruption may influence the rate of bone resorption and later of gingival remodeling, but the resorptive processes occur independently and are the rate-limiting factors in pre-emergent eruption. After emergence, intermittent occlusal loading disrupts the generative or adaptive mechanisms of the periodontal ligament so that eruption slows. The light continuous forces from resting tongue pressure also are significant influences on tooth eruption during periods of rapid facial growth. Cellular adaptation of the alveolar bone and gingiva plays an important role in the control of tooth eruption in the adult.