The alveolar process is the upper horseshoe-shaped portion of the body. It forms the mandibular dental arch and houses the mandibular teeth.

The curved, free, superior margin of the alveolar process is called the alveolar arch. It features the following landmarks:

Dental alveolus - sixteen sockets or cavities that house the roots of the teeth; their dimensions and structures vary depending on the teeth type;
Interalveolar septum - a bony ridge between adjacent dental alveoli;
Interradicular septum - a bony ridge that forms compartments within one dental alveolus; within those compartments lie the roots of the particular tooth;
Alveolar yoke - bony eminence on the outer surface of the alveolar process; they are produced by the projections of the dental alveoli and the roots of the teeth.

Between the third mandibular molar and the ramus is a small triangular-shaped space that is known as the retromolar triangle. Lateral to it is an oval-shaped depression called the retromolar fossa. The retromolar fossa is bounded by the oblique line and its continuation in the anterior border of the ramus. Medially to the fossa is the temporal crest.

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Lower jaw (alveolar process of mandible)