Puppies normally have twenty-eight deciduous or baby teeth and forty-two adult or permanent teeth. Dogs have four types of teeth – incisors, canine teeth, premolars, and molars.
Extra teeth, rotated teeth, and overcrowding of teeth can cause pain, misalignment of teeth, excessive wear, soft tissue trauma and subsequent development and progression of periodontal disease. Selective extraction of those affected teeth may be required to allow more space between the teeth, remove the teeth or soft tissue trauma which will decrease any oral pain present and remove further trauma and help decrease the progression of periodontal disease.
Good home dental care with tooth brushing will decrease progression of the disease by reducing the amount of plaque and tartar.
Written by Dr. Gary Goldstein
