Are Puppies Born With Teeth?

Puppies generally do not have teeth until they are three weeks old. The baby teeth of puppies are typically done erupting at three to six weeks. Most of the puppies have 28 deciduous teeth or baby teeth that are fully erupted when they are 6-8 weeks old.

Puppies generally have two canines, six incisors, and six premolars on the top and bottom. When puppies reach the age of 12 weeks, they start getting their adult teeth. By the age of 6 to 7 months, all adult teeth (42 teeth in all) in dogs have erupted. When the adult teeth in dogs erupt, the baby teeth tend to fall out.

Some puppies, especially small dog breeds or short-nosed dog breeds, are more likely to retain their baby teeth than other dog breeds. Often, these teeth need extraction in order to prevent alignment problems or dental disease. Typically, this process occurs under anesthesia.

You should carefully monitor your puppy when he is chewing on objects. Deciduous teeth are easy to break as these are fragile, which can cause pain as well as infection. Generally speaking, the teeth appear faster in the larger dogs. For example, Doberman pinchers have fewer teeth. Greyhounds and spaniels tend to have more teeth. At the age of between 3 to 4 months, a puppy should be checked out by a vet in order to make sure that there are no bite problems.