How Many Teeth Do Adult Dog Have?

If you have ever wondered how many teeth do adult dog have and why they have so many of them, here is the answer. Most dog owners know that regular dental care for the canine friend is important for their overall well being. They pay much attention to their pet’s teeth that they give to the rest of their body. 

They have dog baby teeth that fall off when they are six months old and replaced with adult teeth. The number of teeth that they have in adulthood will also be different according to their age. Just like us, dogs also have different teeth types that serve different purposes. Also, the care regime for each type of teeth will also depend on different factors.

There are four different types of teeth that dogs have namely incisors, canines, premolars and molars.

•  Incisors – Incisors are the small teeth found in the front of the dog’s mouth. They will be total 12 in numbers, with six on the top and six at the bottom. These teeth allow dogs to rip off meat from bones and these are the teeth they use to groom themselves. If you see your dog chewing on its coat to get rid of mats, burs and fleas, they are most likely using their incisors to do it.  
• Canines – These teeth are also known as fangs and are the pointy teeth you can see on the sides of the dog’s mouth. These can puncture things and will break skin if they bite. These are also used by them when they have to hold onto something. Dogs have two on the upper jaw and two on the bottom jaw.
•   Premolars – These are located behind the canines and are sharp edges teeth that are mostly used for shearing. When you give your dog a chew toy or a treat and they are chewing from the side of their mouth, you will know they are using premolars. There are 16 premolars in total, 8 on the top and 8 at the bottom.
• Molars – Molars are located at the very back of the mouth and are mostly used for grinding as they are more flat surfaced. There are two molars on each side of the upper jaw and three at each side of the bottom jaw. These are many used for chewing.

Puppies will have about 28 dog baby teeth also known as milk teeth. These do not contain molars and will fall off by the time the dogs are between 4 to 6 months old. This will make room for the adult teeth and when they finally grew in , but how many teeth do adult dog have when they are adult? Your dog will have about 42 permanent adult teeth.

When your dogs have fully developed their adult teeth, you need to develop a good hygiene habits together with your pets.  Since these are the only set of teeth that adult dogs will get, it is important that you take good care of them. If oral care is ignored, your dog might end up with different dental diseases that can be quite painful.