Tooth shift around its longitudinal axis is best described as which movement?

Tooth shift around its longitudinal axis is best described as which movement?

• A. Inclination of tooth
• B. Distal shift
• C. Intrusion of tooth
• D. Tooth rotation

Answer: (D)

Rotation is movement around the tooth’s long axis. When a tooth rotates, the crown twists in relation to the root, so the orientation of the tooth changes without the whole unit translating in space. This is what you see when a tooth ends up twisted so that its buccal or lingual surfaces face a new direction while the root line stays aligned. In contrast, tipping (inclination) changes the angle of the tooth’s long axis relative to the arch or occlusal plane, not by twisting around the axis but by tilting the tooth. Translation, like a distal shift, moves the entire tooth bodily along the arch without altering its orientation. Intrusion moves the tooth vertically into the bone along its long axis rather than rotating it.

Rotation is movement around the tooth’s long axis. When a tooth rotates, the crown twists in relation to the root, so the orientation of the tooth changes without the whole unit translating in space. This is what you see when a tooth ends up twisted so that its buccal or lingual surfaces face a new direction while the root line stays aligned.

In contrast, tipping (inclination) changes the angle of the tooth’s long axis relative to the arch or occlusal plane, not by twisting around the axis but by tilting the tooth. Translation, like a distal shift, moves the entire tooth bodily along the arch without altering its orientation. Intrusion moves the tooth vertically into the bone along its long axis rather than rotating it.