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Dr. Firas Alsoleihat, BDS, PhD

Dental Morphology
Department of Conservative
Dentistry
›he permanent canines
 Eruption sequence
Lower before upper
 Function
 No type traits
 Class traits
›he most stable
Longest & thickest roots LL
Single conical cusp
Only cusped teeth without
occlusal surface
Support the arch and
facial musculature
 Arch traits
Upper larger than lower
Smaller IC / MD proportion
in maxillary canine
›he maxillary canine
 Labial aspects
Cusp tip is on a line bisecting the tooth MD
Incisal outline has 2 sloping ridges
" Mesial ridge sloping less markedly and shorter than distal

Mesial HOC is close to the incisal margin

Distal HOC is at the middle portion of the crown
Mesial outline is slightly convex
Mesial cusp slope might exhibit slight concavity
Distal outline is markedly concave
Distal cusp slope is straight or slightly convex
CEJ is slightly convex incisally
Labial surface
" Labial ridge
" Slight depressions on either sides, but more distally
oot is long & narrow
 ›he maxillary canine
 Lingual aspect
Crown & root narrower lingually
Well-elevated marginal ridges (arch trait)
Accentuated lingual cingulum ± slightly
concave at midpoint (arch trait)
Pronounced lingual ridge (arch trait)
ML & DL fossae
A lingual pit and/or developmental grooves
marking the inner boundaries of marginal ridges
 Mesial aspect
Cusp tip labial to a line bisecting the tooth LL
›hick cervical third
HOC is between cervical and middle thirds
From HOC outline is straight toward cusp tip
Lingual outline starts cervically convex
then slightly concave then convex again
HOC is close to cervical line
›hick incisal ridge LL (arch trait)
oot is wide with a slight longitudinal
concavity and blunt apex
›he maxillary canine

 Distal aspect
Deeper and longer longitudinal
concavity on the root
 Incisal aspect
Asymmetry
" Distal half is wider & has a concavity
on the labial outline
" Mesial part of the labial outline is convex
Prominent convexity of the cingulum
 Pulp
Double convex lens shape in LL section,
widest near cervix
Narrow in MD section
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›he mandibular canine
 Narrower MD and LL (arch trait)
 Smaller MD/IC proportion (arch trait)

Labial surface
" ›he crown length is equal or longer by 0.5 to 1 mm
" ›he root is usually shorter but sometimes as long as the maxillary
canine.
Cusp is not as long & pointed as in maxillary (arch trait)
›he labiolingual diameter of crown and root is usually a fraction
of a millimeter less. Mesio-distally it is narrower.
Mesial cusp ridge is shorter and high adjacent to cusp tip
Distal cusp ridge is low
Incisal outline = 1/4 to 1/5 IC height
Mesial outline is straight while distal is convex
" Both converge slightly toward the cervix
Mesial HOC is just below MI angle while
DI angle is between incisal & middle thirds
›he crowns of the mandibular canines appear longer than maxillary
canines due to the narrowness of the crown mesiodistally and the height of
the contact areas above the cervix.
›he cusp angle is on a line with the center of the root, as on the maxillary
canine

oot is conical with blunted root

" Mesial inclination from cervix to apex
" Crown appears tilted distally in relation to root long axis
 ›he mandibular canine
 Lingual aspect
Marginal ridges, lingual ridge
& cingulum are less prominent
ML & DL fossae are shallower
Pits or grooves are rare
oot narrower lingually than labially
Distinct longitudinal depressions
extends down proximal surfaces
" ›he lingual portion of the root is narrower relatively than that of
the maxillary canine. It narrows down to little more than half the
width of the labial portion.
 Mesial aspect
Cusp tip with long axis of the tooth
Cervical third is narrower
HOC is just above CL &
entire labial outline is convex
oot is narrower and root tip more pointed
CL curves more toward the incisal portion than in the maxillary
canine.
Mesial developmental depression is more pronounced than in ›he
max. canine
incisal portion of the crown is thinner labiolingually, which allows
the cusp to appear more pointed and the cusp ridge to appear more
slender.
 ›he mandibular canine
 Distal aspect
Similar to mesial
CL curves less toward the incisal portion than in
the maxillary canine.

 Incisal aspect
M & D halves are more nearly symmetrical
Lingual outline is less round
Less bulky appearance of the incisal edge
›he cusp tip and mesial cusp ridge are more
likely to be inclined in a lingual direction

 Pulp
Similar to maxillary canine
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