We recognize four basic kinds of teeth in an individual's jaw, the incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. These are shown in the illustration at the bottom of this page.
Incisors are usually simple teeth, though the crown is sometimes lobed.
In many species, incisors are used as pincers for grasping or picking, both in feeding and in grooming. Incisors have been modified in a number of ways. Perhaps the most successful is their enlargement to form chisels used for gnawing. All mammals have a single canine in each quadrant, if they have canines at all. When present, the canines are the first tooth in the maxilla.