When do puppies lose their teeth?

This actually surprises some owners, that a puppy will lose its baby teeth and that new ones will grow in. Just like humans... and many other animals.

Unlike humans, you probably won't witness when puppy baby teeth fall out. Sometimes it happens when they're eating and they are swallowed. Or they are lost in a game of tug of war and get stuck in carpet. So if you happen to find a puppy tooth, count yourself lucky!

Baby teeth will begin to erupt starting at 3-4 weeks, so long before you get your pup. They have 28 total baby teeth. I recommend you look at your puppy's teeth often. This will help you distinguish between puppy and adult teeth. Puppy teeth are also oddly shaped, so that helps.

So when will they start losing their teeth? The incisors (the teeth in the front on top and bottom) will typically start falling out at 3-5 months. Canines (the pointy ones) and pre-molar (right behind canines) follow at 4-6 months, and finally molars (big and in the back) at 5-7 months. Adults have a total of 42 teeth.

Why does this matter? If baby teeth don't fall out and adult teeth come in, those baby teeth are now referred to as deciduous teeth. These deciduous teeth can cause a lot of problems. First of all, mal alignment of the adult teeth, which can result in improper ability to tear and chew food correctly. Perhaps (maybe) more importantly, food or particles can get stuck between the deciduous and the adult tooth and begin to rot both teeth. The pup can end up losing both teeth at that point. In the very least, the rotting food and teeth are going to be very stinky!!

TIP: It is very important for you to be able to open your puppy's mouth, examine their teeth, stick your finger in their mouth and on their tongue. This bit of training will greatly help you if you ever need to give pills! To open your pups mouth, place your thumb and index finger over the top of the snout and right behind the canine teeth on the top. If your pup tries to bite down at this point, there is a space where there that they can't really bite you (the teeth are super small).

You also need to start brushing your puppy's teeth, with dog toothpaste (doesn't have xylitol) and either a toothbrush or finger brush. You don't want to see any visible tarter or plaque. You want pearly white teeth at all times. Proper teeth care is one of the top places to maintain to keep your pup healthy. If bacteria stays off the teeth, it stays out of the gums, which stays out of the blood supply, which stays out of the kidney and heart. It's a whole cascade of bad events....so pay attention to clean white teeth!