The hard parts of a tooth commonly enclose a central pulp-cavity into which projects the pulp, a papilla of the dermis including blood-vessels and nerves. As long as growth continues the outer layers of this pulp become successively calcified and added to the substance of the dentine. In young growing teeth the pulp-cavity remains widely open, but in mammals the general rule is that as a tooth gets older and the crown becomes fully formed, the remainder of the pulp becomes converted into one or more tapering roots which are imbedded in the alveolar cavities of the jaws. The opening of the pulp-cavity is then reduced to a minute perforation at the base of each root. A tooth of this kind is called a =rooted= tooth. But it is not only in young teeth that the pulp-cavity sometimes remains widely open; for some teeth, such as the tusks of Elephants and the incisor teeth of Rodents, form no roots and continue to grow throughout the animal's life. Such teeth are said to be rootless or to have persistent pulps. An intermediate condition is seen in some teeth, such as the grinding teeth of Horses. These teeth grow for a very long time, their crowns wearing away as fast as their bases are produced; finally however definite roots are formed and growth ceases. [Illustration FIG. 1. DIAGRAMMATIC SECTIONS OF VARIOUS FORMS OF TEETH (from FLOWER). I. Incisor or tusk of elephant, with pulp-cavity persistently open at base. II. Human incisor during development with root imperfectly formed, and pulp-cavity widely open at base. III. Completely formed human incisor, with pulp-cavity contracted to a small aperture at the end of the root. IV. Human molar with broad crown and two roots. V. Molar of Ox, with the enamel covering the crown, deeply folded and the depressions filled with cement. The surface is worn by use, otherwise the enamel coating would be continuous at the top of the ridges. In all the figures the enamel is black, the pulp white, the dentine represented by horizontal lines, and the cement by dots.] The teeth of any animal may be =homodont=, that is, all having the same general character, or =heterodont=, that is, having different forms adapted to different functions. The dentition is heterodont in a few reptiles and the majority of mammals. SUCCESSION OF TEETH. In most fishes, and many amphibians and reptiles the teeth can be renewed indefinitely. In sharks, for example, numerous rows of reserve teeth are to be seen folded back behind those in use (see fig. 15). The majority of mammals have only two sets of teeth, and are said to be =diphyodont=; some have only a single series (=monophyodont=).