Dental alveolus (plural, alveoli) are sockets in the jaws in which the roots of teeth are held in the alveolar process of maxilla with the periodontal ligament. The lay term for dental alveoli is tooth sockets. A joint that connect the roots of the teeth and the alveolus are called gomphosis (plural gomphoses). In mammals, tooth sockets are found in the maxilla and the mandible. [WP,unvetted]. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_alveolus ]