dogs teeth

Question
I have a mini dachshund. He is 1 year old. On the top of his mouth, he has his teeth, obviously. But he has a large v shaped tooth and behind it is another tooth very close to the 1st one, it is curved.  He has that on both side of his mouth.  Food is getting stuck in there, etc.  Will that "extra" tooth fall out?

Answer

Hi Andrea,

If the tooth is a deciduous tooth, or "baby tooth", and does not fall out it's called a ""retained deciduous tooth". This situation leads to problems as two teeth try to occupy the same area causing the new adult tooth to erupt at an abnormal angle or in an abnormal position. This can result in an abnormal "bite." If this tooth is an adult tooth, there is no reason to expect it to fall out.

Because your dog is still quite young, now is the time to have a veterinarian examine his teeth, to evaluate this situation. Removal of the retained deciduous tooth is recommended as soon as the problem is identified, since early removal allows the adult teeth to move into their normal positions preventing bite problems caused by teeth that don't align properly, such as pain or difficulty eating. Often, retained teeth are removed at the time of neutering, since anesthesia is recommended for both procedures.

If food gets stuck between the teeth, it's going to be a breeding ground for bacteria and decay, which not only is painful, it can also lead to serious major organ disease, as the bacteria is spread throughout your dog's body.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti