Understanding Teething in Puppies

Dogs

What is Teething in Puppies?

Teething is a term that refers to the process of permanent teeth coming in to your puppies’ mouth. Permanent teeth will replace the baby teeth.

Tell me More About Puppy Teeth

The teeth are located on both sides of the mouth with two rows of upper teeth that are anchored in the maxilla bone of the face. Two rows of lower teeth are anchored in the jaw bones (mandibular bone).

Dogs generally have 28 baby teeth, also referred to as deciduous teeth, and 42 adult or permanent teeth.

When Does Puppy Teething Typically Start?

Puppies, like human babies, are born without teeth. Only the gum surface is visible. This allows them to nurse without hurting the mother.

There are two stages to teething. The first is when the puppy gets in his baby teeth and the second is when the baby teeth fall out and your puppy gets his adult teeth. Things happen quickly in puppies as compared to humans.

When a puppy reaches 21 to 30 days of age, their deciduous or temporary (baby) teeth start to break through the gums. This is referred to as "erupting." The exact age for this will differ amongst breeds and can even vary within puppies of the same litter.

Puppies have a total of 28 deciduous teeth by the time they reach 45 days of age (just over 6 weeks of age). The first teeth to break through are the incisors which are at the top front of the upper and lower jaws. These can begin as early as 14 - 21 days but often are closer to 30 days. After this - the needle like canine teeth (often called the fang teeth) appear between days 30 and 45. The teeth behind them in the back of the mouth are the premolars and molars and come in between days 21 and 45.

The second phase of teething is when the adult teeth start coming in which generally starts around 8 weeks of age and most breeds show permanent teeth at 6 to 7 months of age.

Teething is often worst between 12 and 20 weeks of age.