Difference Between Puppy Teeth & Dog Teeth

You just got your 8-week old puppy home and although she came with a full set of teeth, she was not born with them and she is not going to keep them. She may be all over you and your belongings now with her sharp little teeth, but rest assured she will not have these puppy teeth much longer. You will learn why a puppy bite may hurt more than an adult dog's bite as you learn the difference between puppy teeth and dog teeth. Also find out when she will start losing her first set of teeth and getting her adult teeth. Plus, you can discover how many and what kinds of teeth are in your puppy's mouth and if this will change as she grows older--as well as a common dental condition to watch out for.

  1. Identification

    • Although your puppy will be born without any teeth, she will get her puppy (also called deciduous) teeth in her first weeks of life. When all of her puppy teeth have come in, she will have 28 teeth. A puppy will first get her incisors (the front teeth), then her canines (the fang-looking teeth) and finally her pre-molars (in the back). An adult dog will have 42 teeth because in addition to the incisors, canines and pre-molars, the adult will also have molars. There may be some variation in the number of teeth according to breed differences.

    Function

    • A puppy is born with a very short snout designed for nursing. If a puppy had the adult's long snout, he would not be able to create suction at his mother's teat. He is born without teeth because he initially survives off of his mother's milk. As the puppy ages and starts eating solid foods, he has the need for teeth. In the wild, the mother dog chewed and regurgitated food for her young; therefore, the puppy had no need for molars to grind food. As a dog ages and is required to chew his own food, he not only grows the teeth required for this action, but also has a longer snout to accommodate his new teeth.

    Effects

    • Your puppy's teeth are smaller than an adult dog's teeth, and they are also much sharper. When playing with your puppy, be wary of the sharpness of her puppy teeth as they could easily break your skin. A puppy usually does not intend to do you harm--her teeth are new to her and she is still learning to control her bite (which is the force with which she closes her jaw). Puppies, like human babies, love to put everything in their mouths as well, including your hands. As an adult, these teeth will be bigger and more blunt. Also, as an adult, she should have learned how to control her bite through interactions with and corrections from other dogs.

    Time Frame

    • According to Colorado State University, your puppy will get his incisors at 4 to 6 weeks, his canines at 5 to 6 weeks and his pre-molars at around 6 weeks. Some puppies start getting their deciduous teeth as early as 2 weeks. Other puppies get their pre-molars as late as 8 weeks. Around 3 months you may notice he is drooling and chewing more. This is a sign that his adult teeth are coming in. His adult incisors come in between 3 to 5 months, and his adult canines come in between 4 to 6 months. His adult pre-molars usually erupt between 4 to 5 months, and he will get his molars when he is 5 to 7 months old.

    Warning

    • Keep an eye on your puppy's teeth as she loses them and grows in her adult teeth. You probably will not see any lost teeth because your puppy will swallow them, but you should make sure that the puppy teeth do actually fall out. There is a condition where the deciduous tooth does not fall completely out but the adult tooth comes in anyway. The two teeth push against each other and cause an abnormal bite. The crowded teeth condition also results in food getting trapped, causing decay in your dog's mouth. Dog-Heath-Guide.org recommends you have your puppy checked at three or four months for bite problems so the problem teeth can be pulled allowing the adult teeth to grow in normally.