“What big teeth you have, grandma” said Little Red Riding Hood to the wolf. Apart from needing an optometrist, Little Red Riding Hood may well have been talking about a dog, whose dental attributes are similar to a wolf. Even though a wolf’s teeth are larger to enable them to rip and tear their prey, dogs and wolves share the same number of teeth: young pups have 28 deciduous teeth, while adults have 42 permanent teeth. The young pups 28 teeth compares to 20 in human babies and the 42 permanent teeth in an adult dog compares to 32 in an adult human (not counting wisdom teeth).
Dr. Donald Beebe, a board-certified specialist in veterinary dentistry and the hospital director at Apex Dog and Cat Dentistry in Englewood, Colorado explains that puppy teeth–also known as deciduous teeth or milk teeth–work much like an adult dog’s teeth but on a smaller scale. Starting around 4 months of age and extending to around 6 months of age, the deciduous teeth begin to exfoliate. Compared to human children, in which the process takes place over years, in puppies, the transition is very rapid, over a matter of weeks.
Dr Beebe observes that while the makeup and chemical structure of dog teeth is similar to those of human teeth, the size and shape of dog teeth are where the biggest differences come into play. The most prominent teeth are the long and pointy canines. They are used for grasping, lifting, pulling and potentially for defense. Further back in the mouth, the large carnassial teeth are designed to shear against one another, to provide a slicing action.
This is in contrast to human teeth, which typically grind against one another to pulverize food. Dogs can’t really smash up their food like people because their teeth are not designed that way.
Dr. Lisa Lippman, a veterinarian based in New York City, explains that canine root structures are similar to human root structures except that in dogs, the three upper molars have two roots, whereas the two lower molars have three roots.
Dr. Milinda Lommer, a board-certified veterinary dentist who practices at Aggie Animal Dental Center in Mill Valley, California notes that the roots of a dog’s tooth are long. “Most people are surprised by how long the roots are,” she says. “The visible crown is usually only about one-third the length of the tooth. For incisor teeth, the crowns are only about one-fourth the length of the tooth.”
Cavities in dog teeth are extremely rare. Because the bacteria in a dog’s mouth are different from the bacteria in a human’s mouth, cavities in dogs don’t happen often. “Cavities are caused by specific bacteria that live on flat surfaces of teeth and metabolize sugars into acid,” says Dr. Lommer. “Dogs don’t usually consume as much sugar as humans do, and the species of bacteria that causes cavities are very rare in dogs’ mouths.”
Unfortunately, dental disease is one of the most common disorders reported by veterinarians. Regular brushing of your dog’s teeth is recommended. Signs of periodontal disease in dogs, according to Dr. Beebe and Dr. Lippman, include:
•Red gums
•Bleeding gums
•Plaque
•Bad breath
•Blood in water or food bowls
•Thick saliva
•Favouring one side of the mouth
•Dropping food while eating
•Facial swelling
•Rubbing the face with the paws or on the floor
So, at the end of the day, teeth are a major factor in both a human’s and a dog’s life but, if there’s any consolation, the tooth fairy doesn’t call when a dog’s tooth falls out!
