Princess is a nine-month-old Teacup Yorkie, who only weighs slightly more than three pounds! She is cute as a button and super sweet!
When it was time to spay her at six months of age, we noticed she had many baby teeth that were still present, four canine baby teeth and four baby premolars. This is a common problem for small breed dogs, especially Yorkshire Terriers. Puppies normally have 28 baby teeth that should all fall out by six months of age. The roots are resorbed and the crowns of the teeth become loose and fall out. Adult dogs have 42 permanent teeth.
When the baby teeth don’t fall out they are called retained deciduous teeth. They should be extracted as soon as the adult teeth have erupted, because they will cause problems such as overcrowding, plaque/tartar buildup, trauma to the other teeth, and trauma to the palate.
Food gets trapped between the double rows of teeth, causing periodontal disease. As well, the double roots can prevent normal development of the tooth socket, and erode gum support around the adult tooth.
If the baby tooth is extracted soon enough, the adult tooth an move into the correct position, reducing the chance of damage tot he palate and other teeth.
Princess now has a beautiful smile and healthy adult teeth!
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