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AnatomyHead and neckOral cavityCanine tooth
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AnatomyHead and neckOral cavityCanine tooth

Canine tooth

Author: Nicola McLaren, MSc • Reviewer: Dimitrios Mytilinaios, MD, PhD
Last reviewed: October 30, 2023
Reading time: 1 minute

Recommended video: Teeth [17:13]
Overview of all the maxillary and mandibular teeth.
Canine tooth
Dens caninus
1/19
Synonyms: Cuspid tooth, Dens cuspidatus

The canine is located as the third tooth from center (central incisor > lateral incisor > canine). It is a sharp tooth with a single point or cusp, designed for tearing or piercing food. The canine may also be called the eyetooth, fang or vampire tooth. Humans have four canine teeth, two maxillary canine teeth (left and right) and two mandibular canine teeth (left and right).

Like all teeth, canines have a crown (the part above the gum), a neck and a root (the part inside the bone). The outer surface is a thin layer of enamel which covers the inner dentin. There is a center core of pulp cavity that is connected to a richly vascularized and innervated root canal.

Terminology English: Canine tooth
Latin: Dens caninus
Definition and function The canine is the third tooth from centre. It has a sharp single cusp designed for tearing and piercing food. Humans have 4 canine teeth.

Learn more about the teeth with this study unit:

Types of teeth Explore study unit

Sources

All content published on Kenhub is reviewed by medical and anatomy experts. The information we provide is grounded on academic literature and peer-reviewed research. Kenhub does not provide medical advice. You can learn more about our content creation and review standards by reading our content quality guidelines.

Moore, K. L., Dalley, A. F., & Agur, A. (2017). Clinically oriented anatomy (8th ed.). Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Standring, S. (2016). Gray's Anatomy (41st ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.

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