Dental alveoli (singular alveolus) 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 connects the roots of the teeth and the alveolus is called gomphosis (plural gomphoses).Alveolar bone is the bone that surrounds the roots of the teeth forming bone sockets a.k.a. alveolus.