The mandibular canine is the

tooth A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, ...

located distally (away from the midline of the

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

) from both mandibular lateral incisors of the

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

but mesially (toward the midline of the face) from both

mandibular first premolar The mandibular first premolar is the tooth located laterally (away from the midline of the face) from both the mandibular canines of the mouth but mesial (toward the midline of the face) from both mandibular second premolars. The function of this ...

s. Both the maxillary and mandibular

canine Canine may refer to: Zoology and anatomy * a dog-like Canid animal in the subfamily Caninae ** ''Canis'', a genus including dogs, wolves, coyotes, and jackals ** Dog, the domestic dog * Canine tooth, in mammalian oral anatomy People with the surn ...

s are called the "cornerstone" of the mouth because they are all located three teeth away from the midline, and separate the premolars from the

incisor Incisors (from Latin ''incidere'', "to cut") are the front teeth present in most mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and on the mandible below. Humans have a total of eight (two on each side, top and bottom). Opossums have 18, wher ...

s. The location of the canines reflect their dual function as they complement both the premolars and incisors during

mastication Chewing or mastication is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth. It is the first step of digestion, and it increases the surface area of foods to allow a more efficient break down by enzymes. During the mastication process, ...

, commonly known as chewing. Nonetheless, the most common action of the canines is tearing of food. The canine teeth are able to withstand the tremendous lateral pressures from chewing. There is a single

cusp A cusp is the most pointed end of a curve. It often refers to cusp (anatomy), a pointed structure on a tooth. Cusp or CUSP may also refer to: Mathematics * Cusp (singularity), a singular point of a curve * Cusp catastrophe, a branch of bifurc ...

on canines, and they resemble the

prehensile Prehensility is the quality of an appendage or organ that has adapted for grasping or holding. The word is derived from the Latin term ''prehendere'', meaning "to grasp". The ability to grasp is likely derived from a number of different orig ...

teeth found in carnivorous animals. Though relatively the same, there are some minor differences between the

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

(baby) mandibular canine and that of the permanent mandibular canine. The mandibular canines begin to show calcification at age 4 months and the enamel of the crown is completely formed by age 7 years. The permanent mandibular canines erupt at around 9 to 10 years of age. The mandibular and maxillary canines are the longest teeth in the mouth. The root of the mandibular canine, which is fully formed by age 13, is the longest in the mandibular arch. The mandibular canines are slightly narrower than the maxillary canines but its crown is as long and sometimes is longer. The mandibular canines usually have only one root, but sometimes the root may be bifurcated, or have two roots. When it does, one root faces the tongue (lingual side) and one will face the lip (labial side). In the universal system of notation, the deciduous mandibular canines are designated by a letter written in uppercase. The right deciduous mandibular canine is known as "R", and the left one is known as "M". The international notation has a different system of notation. Thus, the right deciduous mandibular canine is known as "83", and the left one is known as "73". In the universal system of notation, the permanent mandibular canines are designated by a number. The right permanent mandibular canine known as "27", and the left one is known as "22". In the

Palmer notation Palmer notation (sometimes called the "Military System" and named for 19th-century American dentist Dr. Corydon Palmer from Warren, Ohio) is a dental notation (tooth numbering system). Despite the adoption of the FDI World Dental Federation not ...

, a number is used in conjunction with a symbol designating in which quadrant the tooth is found. For this tooth, the left and right canines would have the same number, "3", but the right one would have the symbol, "┐", over it, while the left one would have, "┌". The international notation has a different numbering system than the previous two, and the right permanent mandibular canine is known as "43", and the left one is known as "33".

References

*Ash, Major M. and Stanley J. Nelson, 2003. ''Wheeler's Dental Anatomy, Physiology, and Occlusion.'' 8th edition. *Brand, Richard W. and Isselhard, Donald E., 2003. ''Anatomy of Orofacial Structures.'' 7th edition. {{Tooth anatomy Types of teeth Human mouth anatomy