Stages of Puppy Teeth

Newborn Teeth

Puppies are initially born without teeth. They do not receive their first puppy teeth until they reach the age of between six and eight weeks old. They grow a total of 28 teeth, which are known as baby teeth or deciduous teeth. The first teeth that fall out are the incisor teeth, followed by the premolars and the canines. Puppies do not have molar teeth, only premolars. Their upper and lower canine teeth are at the back of their mouths and are larger. Their upper and lower incisor teeth are located in the middle.

Teething

For puppies, the teething process continues for several months, off and on. For a puppy, this can be an uncomfortable and painful period. When puppies are teething, they increase their biting and chewing and test out different objects and texture to relieve the discomfort.

Losing Teeth

Between the ages of three months and seven months, a puppy begins to lose its deciduous teeth. Each deciduous tooth root will generally be absorbed by the adult tooth, though there are instances where this does not properly occur. At three months, the incisors begin to fall out to make room for the new adult teeth. At the age of four months, the adult molars and adult canines are beginning to come in. Between the ages of six and seven months, the adult molars will come in. Finally, by seven to eight months, the full set of adult teeth should have come in.

Considerations

By the time a puppy is eight months old, it should have a full set of a total of 42 teeth, but some breeds have more or fewer. The larger the dog, generally speaking, the faster the teeth will appear. Doberman pinchers are an example of dogs that have fewer teeth. Spaniels and greyhounds tend to have more teeth. At the age of between three months and four months, a puppy should be checked out by a veterinarian to make sure that there are no bite problems. If bad bite is occurring as a result of puppy teeth, pulling the baby teeth prematurely may be necessary.