Is it possible to tell a dog’s age from its teeth?

Like other mammals the dog has two consecutive sets of teeth; first the twenty-eight deciduous or milk teeth, followed by the permanent teeth of which there are forty-two. The number of teeth is almost always the same regardless of the breed, though in dogs with short noses the teeth may be rather crowded. These flat-faced (brachycephalic) breeds are the ones most likely to have fewer teeth and if some are absent they are usually molars or premolars of the lower jaw.

The ages at which teeth in different positions (in both jaws) erupt is fairly constant . Therefore in the dog’s early life, by observing which of the teeth are already present, and whether they are deciduous or permanent, it is possible to state the age with reasonable certainty. However, by seven months of age all the permanent teeth are present, so that after that date estimates of age are mad~ chiefly by reference to the degree of wear on the incisor (front) teeth. However, dogs that are in the habit of chewing stones or other hard objects will show an excessive amount of wear for their age. Dental wear will also appear abnormal with dogs with an overshot jaw (where the upper jaw projects further forward than the lower) and an undershot jaw (where the reverse is the case).

When they first erupt, the incisor teeth have prominent projections (cusps or tubercles) which gradually wear down, and by observing which of the teeth have lost them, and later still by noting the shape of the wearing surfaces and the tooth length, it is possible to form a fair estimate of a dog’s age up to about ten years old. After that age it is progressively more difficult to form an estimate, although in general at sixteen years old the incisors have all disappeared and at twenty years of age even the canines (the large ‘fang-like’ teeth) have been shed.

Up to the age of seventeen weeks old the tooth enamel (the outer white covering of the teeth) is still soft enough to be scraped off with a metal instrument, though it is destined to become the hardest material in the body. Dogs which have extra teeth, or never have teeth, or grow a third set of teeth, are encountered only occasionally.

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