Mechanical Strength and Viscoelastic Response of the Periodontal Ligament in Relation to Structure

Preparation of mechanical specimen for uniaxial loading. (a) Mechanical specimen of bone-PDL-tooth complex obtained from a transverse section of the rabbit mandibular incisor. (b) Histological presentation of periodontal ligament. Sections were cut in parallel to the sectional surface of mechanical specimens (Figure 9(a)). Toluidine blue staining. (c) Polarised light microscopic image of the same section. White arrowheads indicate crimps of the collagen fibre bundles. D: dentine; Cm: cementum; PDL: periodontal ligament; B: bone.