Figure 1.

(a) Whole murine mandibles are embedded in cryosectioning medium. (b) Sample is flipped such that tooth roots can be removed precisely using cryosectioning from the apical surface (arrow shows direction of sectioning) until all regions of the periodontal ligament is exposed. (c) Sample is then bonded to custom stage of the atomic force microscope (AFM) using UV-curable dental composite, and (d) the cross-section as viewed through AFM optics was then indented to measure mechanical function of the PDL and surrounding structures.