At this stage of development, the additional cartilage centers, which are unrelated to Meckel’s cartilage, are still present in the mandible. They can be recognized in the area of the incisors both vestibularly and lingually. Meckel’s cartilage is already degraded in the anterior third of its course although a remnant remains in the very anterior part. Its posterior end extends into the middle ear, where the malleus with the incus continues to form the articulation of the primary temporomandibular joint (Figs. 33.1, 33.2, and 33.3).