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Figure 1b. H&E staining of a bucco-lingual section from a mandibular incisor of a five-week-old rat. Similar to osteoblasts, odontoblasts (od) secrete unmineralized predentin (pd, doubleheaded arrow), which is subsequently mineralized and becomes dentin (d, long arrow) when apatite crystals are deposited. The long columnar odontoblasts form processes that extend into dentin. The short arrows indicate dental tubules that house odontoblast processes. Bar = 40 µm.
