8 week old puppy malocclusion.

RE: 8 week old puppy malocclusion.

Rob Davis — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 11:55:32 GMT

What Evelyn said.

I would add that extracting deciduous teeth at this age is slightly more tricky than when they're older as the less mature teeth have wider pulp and less dentine, so are more fragile. You also need to be careful not to damage the unerupted adult teeth (radiographs help to localise). I always do a flap for these, and avoid instrumentation on the lingual aspect to avoid the adult tooth buds.

I tell owners this is worth doing for two reasons: 1) there is likely to be a degree of discomfort where the lower canines are digging into the maxillary mucosa, 2) it will hopefully reduce the risk that there will be similar problems with the adult dentition, but there is still a relatively high chance that some treatment may be required when the adult teeth erupt.

RE: 8 week old puppy malocclusion.

emma o'connor — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 09:44:45 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]Love the nail varnish [/quote]

not my colour I'm afraid, very glam breeder ! Thanks for the advice that was my general thinking and had discussed this with the breeder but they kept on asking would that solve the problem for sure! My answer was I really couldn't say would have to wait and see! At least now I can tell them I have taken advice from someone far more experienced than myself.

RE: 8 week old puppy malocclusion.

Dinu Catilina — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 21:24:11 GMT

Hi Emma

I’m no dentist ( ) but from my experience these puppies also have some of brevignatism. If the puppy is not in pain I advice owners to play thug of war to encourage loosening or if the brevignatism is severe I would take them out. In the majority of cases I have seen the mandible grows in place and the adult canines come out in the right place.

RE: 8 week old puppy malocclusion.

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 21:19:12 GMT

[quote user="emma o'connor"]

Good evening. I'm looking for any advice regarding a puppy who's lower canine teeth are currently growing towards the palette causing indentations rather than in normal alignment. Owned by the breeder who wants to know what to advise potential new owner. Would you remove the deciduous lower canine now and hope the adult mention erupts normally or wait and see as the jaw developes as the puppy grows? It is a standard dachshund. I Will try and post some poorly taken pictures.

[/quote]

Not sure but in the photo it also looks overshot tp me. Of course at this age that is not in itself significant, in a couple of months jaw lengths may be equal.

I would extract the deciduous lower canines quite soon, and, indeed, hope.... It's quite likely that the permanent teeth may do the same. (It is in my opinion a myth that the deciduous somehow force the permanents over). However if the deciduous ones are not removed, they may to some extent perpetuate the inequality of jaw growth – as I explain it to owners, by occluding in those indentations they "lock" the jaws in their present relation.

Love the nail varnish

RE: 8 week old puppy malocclusion.

emma o'connor — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 20:09:42 GMT