Puppy Dental Care: Teeth, Teething and Tooth Care

Just like human babies, ​puppies have baby teeth that fall out. Most puppies are born without teeth and go through a process known as puppy teething. From birth to six months, sharp puppy teeth erupt from the gums in the jaw in a predictable timeline. Puppies go through teething stages during the development of their teeth, including sore gums, and eventually—the eruption of 28 baby teeth. During teething, puppies may target all kinds of unexpected objects to gnaw and chew on, like baseboards and shoes, to relieve the discomfort. However, most dogs never outgrow the urge to chew. Pet owners are encouraged to learn about how their puppy's teeth grow in so they can best handle their dog as it ages.

Stages of Puppy Teeth and Teething

Birth to 2 Weeks

When your puppy is born, there are no teeth yet. During the first two weeks, you'll notice your puppy nursing and first opening its eyes.

Weeks 2 to 4

In the front of the mouth, narrow-edged teeth known as incisors will begin to emerge. The incisors are the first to appear at about two to three weeks of age. Puppies have six incisors on both the top and bottom jaw.

Premolars and molars also begin to grow behind canines (the pointed teeth between the incisors and premolars) at three to six weeks of age, with three on the top and bottom of each side. Four needle-like canines appear at age four weeks and frame the incisors, one on each side, top, and bottom.

Weeks 5 to 8

The last molars appear by six to eight weeks of age. At about eight weeks, the puppy’s permanent teeth begin pushing out deciduous or "milk teeth." The roots of the baby teeth are absorbed by the body, and in most cases, milk teeth simply fall out.

When the deciduous teeth don't fall out on time, puppies may appear to have a double set of teeth. Retained baby teeth should be extracted by a veterinarian so that permanent teeth have room to grow. Sometimes, a crowded mouth pushes teeth out of alignment, resulting in difficulty eating or poor dental hygiene (which can lead to periodontal disease).

All of your puppy's 28 baby teeth are expected to come in by this time. This is when puppies start to learn how to eat moist and soft puppy food.

Weeks 12 to 16

Breeders often let their puppies go to their new owners' homes around eight weeks. Baby teeth will begin to shed, and permanent adult teeth will start to come in. This process is painful for dogs, so providing puppy safe chew toys is recommended. This is a good time to socialize your dog more, look and touch the inside and outside of its mouth, and prepare for teeth brushing.

6 Months and Older

At this point, all puppy teeth should be gone, and adult teeth emerge. If there are any baby teeth left, let your vet know so it can be removed. Permanent teeth replace the milk teeth tooth-for-tooth and add four premolars and 10 molars. Most pups will have 42 permanent teeth in place by about seven months of age.

Signs to Keep an Eye on During Teething

While it can vary somewhat between breeds, there is a progression you can expect as your puppy develops new teeth. It's important to begin handling your puppy's mouth while it's young so you can periodically check for any potential tooth problems. Any type of facial swelling, changes in eating habits, unexpected night awakenings, or rubbing of the face are signs of possible oral discomfort.

You'll want to take your pup to the veterinarian if you see:

• Two teeth occupying one spot in your puppy's mouth. This can cause the adult tooth to come in crooked, possibly causing later problems.

• Spots of blood on your dog's toys, brown tartar on the teeth, or gums that are bleeding, inflamed, and/or sore. These are common symptoms of periodontal disease, a large oral issue for dogs.

• Broken or cracked teeth. This can cause the nerve of the tooth to expose itself, causing your dog pain or infection.

• Crooked teeth or malocclusion (misalignment of the upper and lower jaw). While some breeds have a trademark bite, unusual ones could cause chewing issues.

• Loose adult teeth. Most often, this is caused by trauma to the mouth or from gum loss due to advanced periodontal disease. It could also be a sign of illness.

How to Keep Teeth Healthy

Schedule a visit with your veterinarian for an initial dental exam for your puppy. This examination will include a look at the teeth, gums, and oral cavity. Ask your vet to demonstrate how to clean your pup's teeth. This way, you'll know what brushes, toothpaste, and techniques to use.

Get your pup used to the idea of tooth brushing around six months when its adult teeth start to come in. Regular brushing will prevent plaque, stinky breath, disease, and other medical problems. It's ideal to brush your puppy's teeth daily, but once or twice a week will work.

The Purpose of Each Dog Tooth

Different kinds of teeth serve various functions, based on the position of the mouth and the shape of the tooth. With some breeds, the shape of the jaw impacts how each type of tooth functions. Most dogs have V-shaped upper and lower jaws which allow the mouth to be opened very wide for grasping and capturing prey—or grabbing and holding toys during play. There are several ways dogs use their teeth:

• Dogs use their incisors to rip and scrape meat from bones. They also use them as a grooming tool to nibble burrs or dirt from their fur.

• Dogs use their two canine teeth, found on each side of the jaw (on the top and bottom), as pointed daggers to inflict stabbing and slashing wounds.

• Dogs have eight premolars in the upper jaw and another eight in the lower jaw. They also have four molars in the top and six in the bottom. The extra molars are designed to crush and are used to process vegetable foods and bones.

• Dogs have specialized carnassial teeth composed of premolars and molars. As they pass each other during the mouth's closure, these teeth act like scissors. The carnassial teeth are innovations of the carnivorous animal that requires shearing action to process flesh.

What a Proper Bite Looks Like

When the mouth is closed, dogs should have a normal "bite." This is very important so that dogs can eat and use their mouth normally.

A normal bite looks like this:

• The lower canine teeth are situated in front of the upper canines.

• The upper incisors overlap the lower incisors.

• The upper premolar points fit into the spaces between lower premolars.

• The upper carnassial teeth overlap the lower ones.
  

Malocclusion refers to the abnormal "bite" or fitting of these teeth. Malocclusion can be normal for certain dog breeds due to differences in the shape of the jaw and mouth. For instance, the flat-faced (brachycephalic) dog breeds like Bulldogs have a normal malocclusion because their lower jaw is longer than the upper. However, this allows the teeth to fit incorrectly, which can cause mouth damage as the dog chews. Thus, a veterinarian or veterinary dentist with orthodontic correction should be aware of malocclusion.

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How to stop your dog from destructive chewing

One of a dog's favorite way to take in information and explore the world around them is through their mouths. Although they put their vision and sense of smell to work, sooner or later you will return to a home littered with the week's trash, damage inflicted upon your favorite chair, or worse—your dogs teeth.

Sooner or later every dog lover returns home to find some unexpected damage inflicted by their or their dog; or, more specifically, that dog's teeth. Although dogs make great use of their vision and sense of smell to explore the world, one of their favorite ways to take in new information is to put their mouths to work.

Redirecting their attention to more appropriate items will limit or end your dog from destroying things you value or putting themselves in harm's way. This requires you to play helicopter-parent until they start to understand, which means it is your responsibility to monitor the situation as much as possible so that they don't have the opportunity for destruction.

Understand your dog

Much like infants and toddlers, puppies explore their world by their mouths. And, like babies, they teethe for about six months, which usually creates some discomfort. Chewing not only facilitates teething but also makes sore gums feel better.

Adult dogs may engage in destructive chewing for any number of reasons. In order to deal with the behavior, you must first determine why your dog is chewing—and remember, they are not doing it to spite you. Possible reasons for destructive chewing include:

• As a puppy, they weren't taught what to chew and what not to chew.

• They're bored.

• They suffer from separation anxiety.

• Their behavior is fear-related.

• They want attention.

Please note: You may need to consult further help for both separation anxiety and fear-related behaviors.

Teach what to chew

Take responsibility for your own belongings. If you don't want it in your dog's mouth, don't make it available. Keep clothing, shoes, books, trash, eyeglasses, and remote controls out of your dog's reach.

Give your dog toys that are clearly distinguishable from household goods. Don't confuse them by offering shoes and socks as toys and then expecting them to distinguish between their shoe and yours.

Supervise your dog until they learn the house rules. Keep them with you on their leash in the house so they can't make a mistake out of your sight. Confine them when you're unable to keep an eye on them. Choose a "safe place" that's dog-proof, and provide fresh water and "safe" toys. If your dog is crate trained, you may also place them in their crate for short periods of time or consider a play-pen style gating.

Give your dog plenty of people-time. Your dog won't know how to behave if you don't teach them alternatives to inappropriate behavior, and they can't learn these when they are in the yard by themself.

Give your dog plenty of physical and mental exercise. If your dog is bored, they'll find something to do to amuse themself and you probably won't like the choices they make. On the other hand, a tired dog is a good dog, so make sure they get lots of physical and mental activity. The amount of exercise should be based on their age, health, and breed characteristics.

If you catch your dog chewing on something they shouldn't, interrupt the behavior with a loud noise. Offer them an acceptable chew toy instead, and praise them lavishly when they take the toy in their mouth.

Build a toy obsession in your dog. Use their toys to feed them. At mealtimes, fill a Kong-type toy with their kibble.

If your puppy is teething, try freezing a wet washcloth for them to chew on. The cold cloth will soothe their gums. Supervise your puppy so they don't chew and swallow any pieces of the washcloth.

Make items unpleasant to your dog. Furniture and other items can be coated with a taste deterrent (such as Bitter Apple®, available at our clinic) to make them unappealing.

Caution: Supervise your dog when you first try one of these deterrents. Some dogs will chew an object even if it's coated with a taste deterrent. Also be aware that you must reapply some of these deterrents to maintain their effectiveness.

Offer your dog a treat in exchange for the item in their mouth. As your dog catches on to this idea, you can add the command "Give" as their cue to release the object in exchange for the yummy treat.

Don't chase your dog if they grab an object and run. If you chase them, you are only giving your dog what they want. Being chased by their human is fun! Instead call them to you or offer them a treat.

Have realistic expectations. At some point your dog will inevitably chew up something you value; this is often part of the transition to a new home. Your dog needs time to learn the house rules and you need to remember to take precautions and keep things out of their reach.

Take care with punishment

If you discover a chewed item even minutes after they've chewed it, you're too late.

Animals associate punishment with what they're doing at the time they're being corrected. Your dog can't reason: "I tore up those shoes an hour ago and that's why I'm being scolded now." Some people believe this is what a dog is thinking because they run and hide or because they "look guilty."

In reality, "guilty looks" are actually canine submissive postures that dogs show when they're threatened. When you're angry and upset, your dog feels threatened by your tone of voice, body postures and/or facial expressions, so they may hide or show submissive postures. Punishment after the fact will not only fail to eliminate undesirable behavior, but it could also provoke other undesirable behaviors.

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