A young canine patient at Burke Animal Clinic, located in Northern VA, is a great veterinary teaching case.

Dog is a great example to teach other owners about the problems encountered with retained baby teeth. 

"Max", a Canine Dental Patient at 

Burke Animal Clinic in VA, after his dental 

procedure to remove retained baby teeth.

Meet “Max”. “Max” is a two year old little dog that came in for an appointment with Dr. Elizabeth Johnson.  “Max” had many retained deciduous, or baby, teeth that were causing several dental problems.  The extra teeth were causing his adult teeth to be crowded in his mouth.  The crowding caused food debris to get trapped in the gaps between the teeth, since his saliva could not rinse his mouth well.   Also, since the baby teeth were still in the proper positions in his mouth, the adult teeth were moved aside as they came in. 

The normal development sequence is for the adult teeth to push out the puppy (or kitten) teeth.  There should only be one tooth in the spot in the mouth at a time.  If the adult teeth have erupted and are in the mouth and the corresponding baby tooth is still present (and not very loose), the baby tooth should be pulled, so the adult tooth has the chance to develop in the right location. The adult teeth of dogs and cats have usually erupted by six months of age, some large breed dogs take a bit longer.  The earlier the problem is detected and treated, the better the chance the adult teeth will develop normally.  This is why persistent deciduous teeth are usually dealt with at the time of the pet’s spay or neuter procedure, which is typically done about six months of age.  Retained baby teeth can occur in any breed, however, it is more common in small breed dogs.

BEFORE EXTRACTIONS and CLEANING

 

The Crowded Upper Jaw of "Max" a Canine 

Dental Patient Prior to Dental Surgery.

The Crowded Lower Jaw of "Max" a Canine 

Dental Patient Prior to Extractions.

"Max" a Burke Animal Dental Patient Prior to Dental Surgery.  You can see in this side view

 the crowded teeth and trapped debris between the teeth.

“Max’s” owners realized the teeth were causing him a problem and brought him in to be checked.  “Max” had his retained baby teeth extracted and his adult teeth cleaned to remove the built up debris that had been trapped, finally, the adult teeth were polished to create a smooth surface to make it harder for plaque to adhere in the future. The whole process was done under general anesthesia.  “Max” is already two years old so there may not be many changes in the position of his teeth, but his oral health will improve. There are less nooks and crannies to trap food, hair, etc., so less irritants for his gums.  Better oral health helps preserve his general health as well.   

  AFTER EXTRACTIONS                  

"Max's" Upper and Lower Jaws After Dental 

Extraction of Retained Baby Tee

WHAT TO DO?

Spread the word and if your pet will let you check his mouth, see if he has retained baby teeth.  Not able to check yourself?   Ask the doctor to check for you at his next wellness /dental exam.  If your pet hasn’t had an exam in the past year?  Schedule one.  Dogs and cats age faster than their human owners, a lot can change in your pet’s health status in a

year.