Brachydont teeth have a simple structure and do not grow very tall. The crown of a brachydont tooth is made of enamel, the inner core is made of dentine, and the root is covered by cementum. All the teeth of humans and pigs, and the incisor teeth of cattle and sheep are of this type. Bunodont teeth may be used for grinding and crushing a variety of feeds. However, they would soon be worn away by the constant grinding of tough fibrous feeds such as those consumed by foraging ruminants.
Hypsodont teeth are long-lasting because they develop a greater depth to be worn down.
Selenodont ridges are composed of alternating layers of enamel, dentine and cementum, and they exert a powerful grinding action when top and bottom teeth are moved horizontally against each other. The fate of the missing canine teeth in ruminants is quite interesting. The teeth of the upper jaw are inserted into two bones, the premaxilla and the maxilla. Many anatomists define the upper canine tooth as the tooth that is immediately posterior to the suture between the premaxilla and the maxilla. The lower canine is then defined as the tooth that articulates immediately anterior to the upper canine.