Watching your pups play around joyfully and gleefully is one of the most fascinating things. However, in pursuit of play, your pups may have turned overly enthusiastic and ended up hurting themselves, right? Of the several adorable features of your puppy, one of them is its sharp, pointed, needle-like tooth. They aren’t permanent and will fall off in due course of time.
Yet, if your puppy seems to be on the run always and loses its tooth during play, that could be worrisome indeed for you as an owner. Let’s read on to know the various reasons for your puppy losing a tooth during play. Also, learn about what you as an owner should do then.
Puppy Dental Development
Before getting on to know the hazards your puppy may face if its tooth falls during play, it’s important to understand its dental development. The teething timeline of puppies is closely similar to that of babies. Let’s take a look at the same:
1. 2 – 4 Weeks
Your pup is perhaps with its mother then, and you haven’t brought it home from the breeder. Its baby tooth begins to erupt.
2. 5 – 6 Weeks
All of the baby teeth have erupted by this time. Your dog will have 28 teeth in total. During this phase, puppies enter the weaning stage and will begin eating soft and moist puppy food.
3. 12 – 16 Weeks
It’s at this time that most puppies leave the breeder’s place and go to the homes of their new owners. Also, this is when they gradually begin to shed their baby teeth, which are replaced by adult teeth.
Puppies lose their incisors at 12-16 weeks, canines at 16-18 weeks, and premolars at 24 weeks.
4. Around 6 Months
All of their puppy teeth have fallen by then, and the adult teeth have taken their place. There are 42 teeth in adult dogs on average, 22 in the lower jaw and 20 in the upper jaw. The number of teeth is more than their human friends!
Some smaller breeds, and even the flat-faced ones like the Pug and French Bulldog, may retain some of their puppy teeth even in their adult stage. Yet, if this happens, it is always important to contact the vet.
| Total Number of Teeth of a Puppy at 6 Months (In Detail) | |
|---|---|
| Incisors | 12 |
| Canines | 4 |
| Premolars | 16 |
| Molars | 10 |
Reasons Behind Puppy Teeth Falling Out While Playing
If your puppy lost one of his teeth while playing, it could be a stressful event for you indeed. However, there are umpteen reasons why the same might happen.
- Your puppy might have been involved in a rash play, perhaps a game of fetch or a tug of war. This may have caused the teeth to fall off.
- Another possibility is that your dog could already have an abscess or an infection in his tooth. When left untreated, it could make the teeth get loose and eventually fall.
My Pet Lost a Tooth! What Should I Do?
Anytime your pet loses a tooth, be it during play or even other than that, it will be a panicky moment for you. If this happens with your pup, the trauma is even more. As a responsible pet parent, here are things to do from your end when your puppy loses his tooth during play or even other than that.
1. Take Him to the Vet
This is the most important thing to be done from your end. When your dog or pup’s tooth falls off, it’s quite obvious that you cannot get it back. But, what you should do at the utmost is get your dog checked by a vet. He will inspect your dog’s mouth to see if the entire tooth has fallen or if a part of it has remained inside. If that’s the case, he may have to remove the remaining part of the tooth.
If the teeth have not fallen but are chipped and appear sharp, they may be filed by the vet so that your dog doesn’t end up cutting his mouth. If your dog or pup shows signs of pain, drools a lot, bleeds, swollen gum, or bad breath, then the vet may treat accordingly to minimize pain and infection.
2. Stop Your Dog’s Game Instantly
If your dog or pup’s tooth fell out when he was in the middle of a game of fetch, running, or tug of war, then make sure he doesn’t play anymore from the moment you have identified the issue. You would need to attend to the fallen or broken tooth at first as any delay could trigger pain and infection.
3. Thoroughly Inspect Your Dog’s Mouth
You would have to check the insides of your dog’s mouth to see if the entire tooth fell out or if it was just a part of it. In both cases, immediate treatment is needed to ward off pain and infection.
4. Try Locating the Pulled or Broken Tooth
If your dog was playing at home and broke his tooth there, then it will be easier for you to locate the tooth in parts or full. It could be challenging if the tooth fell out when your dog was on a walk or playing in the garden. Yet, if you manage to locate the tooth, it will make your vet’s job easier to decide if he can retain the root or not.
Is a Broken Tooth an Emergency In Pups?
In most cases, a broken tooth isn’t an emergency. Yet if your pup or dog’s tooth fell out while playing, it is necessary to consult a vet at the earliest to lessen the chances of infection, inflammation, and pain.
Preventing Dental Injuries During Playtime
There are several precautions to take from your end to prevent or minimize dental injuries during playtime. Let’s take a look at a few things to do:
- When playing a game of tug-war with your pup, it is essential to keep it within limits. Pulling the rope too hard could put pressure on your pup’s teeth as he could attempt to pull it back by biting and tugging at it. The same goes for games like playing fetch, where you must supervise to avoid harsh play.
However, if you have a toy or small breed, you must avoid engaging them in a game of tug of war. This is because small breeds have smaller teeth that may easily break during the game. - Make it a point to look into your pup’s mouth occasionally to ensure that there aren’t any loose or infected teeth. If you sense something wrong, or in case your pup has bad breath or is drooling a lot, you need to get in touch with the vet at once.
- When your pup gets into chewing things and even eating dry food by 8-10 weeks of age, his teeth will be subjected to a lot of wear and tear. So, maintaining proper dental hygiene will lessen or minimize the chances of an infection.
- You should make a proper choice regarding your dog’s toys. Ensure to choose soft chew toys for your pup, especially if he belongs to a small breed. Hard toys can put extra pressure on their teeth resulting in damage.
FAQ’s
What happens if your pup swallows a broken tooth?
If your pup’s tooth falls and is broken, and he swallows a little or the whole of it, then in most cases, it’s harmless. It shouldn’t be concerning to the owners.
How to distinguish if the broken tooth is a permanent one or a baby tooth?
Well, it will be quite difficult for pet owners to identify if the tooth that fell is a broken or permanent one. However, by the time the puppies are 30-32 weeks old, all of the deciduous teeth fall off.
How to distinguish if the broken tooth is a permanent one or a baby tooth?
Well, it will be quite difficult for pet owners to identify if the tooth that fell is a broken or permanent one. However, by the time the puppies are 30-32 weeks old, all of the deciduous teeth fall off.
Also, the baby teeth appear whiter and smaller than the permanent ones. So, if your 7-8-month-old puppy lost their tooth while playing, then they were the permanent ones. Yet, to clear your confusion, it would be better to take the fallen or broken tooth to the vet for further clarification.
Conclusion
As your puppy is on the go, tripping, falling, or having minor accidents now and then isn’t an uncommon thing at all. Yet, when it comes to its teeth, maintaining proper dental hygiene and supervising your pup while playing may help to avoid such accidents.
Elena Gherman is a highly skilled and knowledgeable animal care expert. At the start of her career, she gained practical expertise with multiple animals. In addition to that, she works as a DVM veterinary editor for Joy Pet Products, which focuses on offering reliable information on pet health and wellbeing. She meticulously reviews each piece of writing before it is published to make sure pet owners get the most precise and updated information possible.