1. Several theories have been proposed to explain the motive force behind tooth eruption, including root formation and elongation, bone modeling and remodeling around the tooth, traction of periodontal ligament fibroblasts, and vascular pressure within the periodontal ligament. 2. More recent evidence suggests that tooth eruption is a localized event controlled by molecules expressed in the dental follicle and stellate reticulum that promote osteoclastogenesis and formation of an eruptive pathway in the bone, allowing eruption with no pressure from the erupting tooth. 3. The gubernacular cord and canal are also thought to play a role by guiding eruption and undergoing widening by local osteoclastic activity to delineate the er