Puppy teething: what falls out, when, and what to watch
Those needle teeth are temporary equipment. Puppies grow 28 deciduous teeth and end with up to 42 permanent ones, and the swap happens fast - here is the VCA's timeline, plus the one tooth problem worth catching early.
The six-month swap
Puppies begin teething at around three weeks and have all their baby teeth by roughly six weeks - incisors and canine teeth first, then premolars. Dogs have no baby molars. At around 12 weeks the deciduous teeth start falling out and the permanent set begins erupting; normally, by six months, every permanent tooth is in and every baby tooth is out.
You may find a tiny tooth on the floor, but most puppies simply swallow them while eating - harmless, per VCA. A faint red stain on a chew toy from minor bleeding is also normal.
The tooth that refuses to leave
Smaller breeds and short-nosed breeds are prone to retained deciduous teeth - baby teeth that stay put when the permanent ones arrive. The canine teeth are the usual holdouts, and a double row of fangs is the classic sign.
Retained teeth trap food against the gums, misalign the bite, and set up future dental disease, so they need removal - commonly done at the spay or neuter appointment. If your puppy still has double teeth at six months, put it on the list for the next vet visit.
Chew rules for a mouth under construction
VCA passes on the veterinary dentists' rule: do not offer anything that will not bend. Bones, antlers and hard nylon can break baby and adult teeth alike, and no chew toy is 100 percent safe - supervise, keep a few toys in rotation so they stay interesting, and keep shoes and children's toys out of reach.
For hand-biting, yelp like a littermate and withdraw play. Redirect the mouth to a toy, add exercise and puzzle feeders, and make sure nobody rewards the chewing you want to stop.
Start the brushing habit now
A teething puppy is the perfect student for mouth handling. Getting them used to a finger or brush in the mouth now pays off for years of home dental care - and lets you look inside, or retrieve something, without a wrestling match.
Use a toothbrush and toothpaste made for dogs - human toothpaste can make dogs sick - and ask your vet to demonstrate technique. Most dogs can learn to tolerate or even enjoy daily brushing; tolerance comes first.
