Each tooth in the upper and lower jaw has its own morphology, and same is the case with the canines in the maxilla and mandible where most of the morphologic features are different in the two canines. The Canine teeth are called the corner stone which are said to be one of the strongest teeth to stay till the end, and the canine in the upper jaw is larger than the lower canine.
The Mandibular permanent canine erupts first at the age of 9-10 years, while the maxillary canine erupts at the age of 10-12 years. The canines are also called as cuspids as they have got a single pointed cusp, and the root of the canine is the longest and the strongest amongst all the teeth in the mouth.
Below is the comparison between the Maxillary and Mandibular permanent canines (read more about the Tooth anatomy):
Crown
The crown of the Maxillary canine is larger, and the crown of the mandibular canine is less bulky but the height of the mandibular canine crown is more, while it has got a lesser labio-lingual diameter near the cervix than the maxillary canine.
Half of the crown height of the maxillary canine is occupied by the Incisal margin, while the same margin in the mandibular canine occupies about one-fourth of the crown height.
Mesial and Distal Margins
The mesial and distal margins of the maxillary canine converge cervically, like a cone when viewed from the facial / labial surface, while the mesial and distal margins of the mandibular canine appear more or less parallel when viewed from the labial surface.
Marginal ridges and Cingulum
The marginal ridges, i.e. the mesial and distal marginal ridges are more accentuated in the maxillary canine, while the lingual surface is more flatter in the mandibular canine, although the cingulum is more prominent here.
The Lingual pit and the grooves are more common on the maxillary canine while they are less common in the mandibular canine.
Incisal view
When viewed incisally, the mesial and distal halves of the maxillary crown are asymmetrical or are less symmetrical, but the incisal view of the mandibular canine shown less symmetry on the mesial and distal halves.
Check out the differences between the Permanent Maxillary and Mandibular incisors and the differences between the primary and permanent teeth.