Just like you, your puppy will have two sets of teeth in their lifetime: baby teeth and adult teeth. But unlike you, your puppy won’t have to wait years for their adult teeth to grow in. Teething begins around 3½ to 4 months of age and lasts only until about 6 months of age. The growing adult teeth usually cause the baby teeth to fall out, so a baby tooth is completely gone by the time an adult tooth grows in.
If your puppy is holding onto their baby teeth and they don’t fall out like they should, they are called retained deciduous teeth. Because the retained baby tooth is where the adult tooth needs to be, the adult tooth ends up growing in at a strange angle or location.
All dog breeds can have retained teeth, but they are more common in small-breed dogs and dogs that have short noses, like Chihuahuas, bulldogs, pugs, Boston terriers and boxers.
Retained baby teeth can cause poor tooth alignment and discomfort. They also predispose your puppy to future dental problems:
- Food can get trapped between the baby teeth, adult teeth and the gums, which can lead to dental disease.
- If your puppy’s teeth are not aligned, they can rub against other teeth, wearing away the enamel and weakening the affected teeth. They may even entrap your puppy’s tongue or a lip, and can rub against the roof of the mouth or gums, causing pain and damage. If this happens, your puppy might find it difficult to eat.
The good news is that this is something you can check for at home. Simply inspect your puppy’s mouth for what looks like two teeth in the same spot. If you see this, it’s likely they have a retained tooth, and you should make an appointment with your veterinarian to examine their mouth. Unless the tooth is very loose, extraction is the treatment of choice. If this is done early enough, extraction may allow the adult tooth to move into its proper position.
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