56 THE VETERINARY SCIENCE. 



CHAPTER XV. 



THE TEETH. 



THE teeth are situated in the mouth, in the upper and lower 

 jaws. They are made up ot" the same tissue as bone, but 

 they contain 10^2 per cent, more of the earthy salts, this 

 is what makes them so very hard. Unlike bone, they can stand 

 exposure to air and friction without becoming diseased. The 

 teeth are made up of three hard substances, viz. : dentine, or ivor\ ; 

 enamel ; and crusta petrosa. The dentine or ivory is situated in 

 the upper part of the tooth around the pulp or ner\e cavity; it is 

 largely supplied with nerves which pass through it from the pulp 

 cavity, and is of a vellowish color. The enamel is the hardest 

 substance of the tooth and covers over the outside of all the 

 exposed part of the tooth, this substance is characterized by its 

 whiteness, and unlike the dentine, there is no blood \essels or 

 nerves in it, and if part of the enamel is broken off it is never 

 replaced again, and the tooth below the part broken off generally 

 becomes decayed. The crusta petrosa is found in the fangs or 

 roots of the teeth and the parts situated below the gum, this sub- 

 stance is the softest part of the tooth. Each tooth is divided into 

 the body or crown, which is the part above the gum, the table of 

 the tooth, which is the part that comes into wear on the top. 

 The neck of the tooth is the part where the gums are attached, 

 and the fangs or roots are the parts situated down in the bone. 



The uses of the teeth are to masticate or chew the food, and 

 are also used to tell the age of the animal. There are three kinds 

 of teeth found in the horse, viz.: The incisors or front teeth, 

 which are situated in the front part of the mouth just inside the 

 lips, are twelve in number, six above and six below. The canine 

 or bridle teeth, which are found mostly in the horse or male 

 animal and are often absent in the mare, are four in number, two 

 in the upper jaw and two in the lower jaw, one on each side, 

 a couple of inches back from the front teeth. These teeth are 

 from a quarter of an inch to three-quarters of an inch above the 

 gum, they are round and pointed and are of no particular use. 

 They resemble the eye teeth in other animals. The molars or back 

 teeth are twenty-four in number, six on each side in the upper 

 jaw, and six on each side in the lower jaw, their use is to grind 

 and masticate the food. 



