If you have a puppy, surely on more than one occasion you have affectionately nicknamed it “piranha”. In their first months of life they are exploring the world and biting is one of their primary instincts. Their toys, your shoes, the furniture… Although their baby teeth are very fragile, they are also sharp, like little needles.
Between three and seven months, the puppies begin to lose their milk teeth, which will be replaced by the permanent ones. This process can be annoying and painful for the dog, so you should offer him teethers with which to soothe the sore gums. An excellent trick is to put them in the fridge before giving them to them, since that freshness will relieve their inflammation.
However, sometimes milk teeth refuse to come off while the final ones make their way. Two dental pieces coexist in your furry’s teeth, in a process known as double dentition, double fang, double dentition or persistence of milk teeth.
Double teeth in dogs occurs when the milk teeth (also called deciduous or primary teeth) do not fall out when the permanent or permanent teeth begin to emerge. This does not usually occur with all dental pieces, but occurs mainly in the fangs, incisors and premolars.
The persistence of milk teeth when the permanent teeth begin to appear can arise for various reasons. Among them, because the growth of the permanent tooth is incorrect and does not exert the proper pressure to push the milk tooth. Although any dog ​​can present this peculiar condition, it is especially common in small or toy breed dogs, such as poodles, bichons, Pomeranians or Yorkshires.
Having a dog with double fangs can be impressive. Their bite is more threatening and painful when, in addition, they have not learned to control their strength or know what they should and should not bite.
Apart from this, the persistence of milk teeth at the same time as the definitive ones entails certain risks for the animal. It increases the buildup of tartar and bacteria, as well as the risk of contracting periodontal disease (gum infection) or other oral infections. You will also be more susceptible to gingival, palatal or dental trauma, as well as dental fractures.
Likewise, if the milk teeth do not allow the correct growth and distribution of the permanent ones, these could be deviated, causing malformations that would require orthodontics.
Once the vet verifies that your dog has a case of double teeth, he may recommend waiting for the pieces to fall out on their own, at least until 10 or 12 months.
If that time elapses and they have not fallen out or there is a distribution problem in the growth of the permanent teeth, it would be necessary to extract the milk teeth by surgery under general anesthesia.
