Twenty-four hours after a tetracycline injection, the unimpeded, and more 
rapidly erupting, mouse mandibular incisor contained 20% to 44% more 
tetracycline than the contralateral, uncut incisor. It was concluded that the 
increased tetracycline incorporation reflected a higher rate of mineralization 
associated with faster tooth formation in the unimpeded tooth. By measuring the 
amount of tetracycline which became incorporated at different times after an 
incisor was shortened, it was possible to investigate an early stage of the 
response of the incisor to cutting. A significant increase in the capacity of 
the tooth to incorporate tetracycline was detectable 4 h after shortening the 
tooth, and this was maximal after another 4 h.