A grown dog carries 42 teeth – ten more than you do. A puppy makes do with 28, then loses every one of them before its first birthday. Most owners never count, and they don’t need to, right up until a baby tooth refuses to budge or a vet asks whether the adult set has all come through. Knowing the numbers makes those moments far less alarming.
Adult dogs have 42 permanent teeth – 20 on top and 22 on the bottom, made up of 12 incisors, 4 canines, 16 premolars and 10 molars. Puppies have 28 baby teeth and no molars at all. The baby set erupts from about three weeks of age and is replaced by the adult set by roughly six to seven months.
The short answer
An adult dog has 42 permanent teeth, and that number is the same whether you own a chihuahua or a great dane – the teeth are just packed into very different-sized jaws. Puppies have 28 deciduous teeth, often called milk or baby teeth. For comparison, adult humans top out at 32, so dogs are working with a fuller mouth than we are. The count holds across breeds; what changes between dogs is how much room those teeth have, which is where a lot of small-breed dental trouble starts.
The adult mouth, tooth by tooth
Those 42 teeth aren’t all the same. They split into four types, each doing a different job. The ‘incisors’ are the small nippers across the front, used for grooming and gnawing meat off a bone. The ‘canines’ are the four long fangs that grip and tear. Behind them sit the ‘premolars’, which shear food into chunks, and right at the back are the ‘molars’, the broad teeth that crush and grind. Vets write this as a dental formula – 2 times (I 3/3, C 1/1, P 4/4, M 2/3) – which just means the count on one side of the mouth, doubled. Here is how the 42 break down:
| Tooth type | Upper | Lower | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incisors | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Canines | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Premolars | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| Molars | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Total | 20 | 22 | 42 |
The lower jaw holds two extra molars, which is why the bottom count (22) beats the top (20). If you ever want to check the source numbers yourself, the full breakdown lines up with what your vet uses on a dental chart.
Why puppies have fewer
Those 42 teeth aren’t all the same. They split into four types, each doing a different job. The ‘incisors’ are the small nippers across the front, used for grooming and gnawing meat off a bone. The ‘canines’ are the four long fangs that grip and tear. Behind them sit the ‘premolars’, which shear food into chunks, and right at the back are the ‘molars’, the broad teeth that crush and grind. Vets write this as a dental formula – 2 times (I 3/3, C 1/1, P 4/4, M 2/3) – which just means the count on one side of the mouth, doubled. Here is how the 42 break down:
The teething timeline
The whole changeover happens fast, usually inside the first seven months. The baby teeth push through from around three weeks of age and the full set of 28 is generally in by three to five months. The adult teeth then start replacing them from about four months, with the front incisors going first, the canines around five to six months and the back premolars and molars filling in by six to eight months. You can follow the week-by-week pattern in our teething guide. Most owners find odd little teeth around the house during this window, though plenty get swallowed and pass through harmlessly.
When teeth go missing or double up
Two things commonly throw the count off. The first is a retained baby tooth, where an adult tooth comes through while the deciduous one is still in place – you end up with a ‘double’ tooth, most often a canine. It traps food and shifts the bite, so it usually needs removing. The second is crowding. Toy and flat-faced breeds like chihuahuas, pugs and poodle crosses such as cavoodles fit the same 42 teeth into a much smaller jaw, so teeth rotate, overlap and miss the gaps that keep them clean. If a baby tooth is still there past about six months, or two teeth are sharing one spot, book a vet check rather than waiting it out.
How to check your dog’s mouth at home
You don’t need to count all 42 to keep an eye on things. Once your dog is happy being handled – the same gentle groundwork you’d use to get a puppy used to any handling – lift the lip on each side and look. You’re checking that the big teeth all look paired left to right, that nothing’s doubled up and that the gums are pink rather than red. A quick weekly look during a pat is plenty, and it means you spot a stuck baby tooth or a chipped fang early instead of months later.
FAQ
Do dogs have more teeth than humans?
Yes. Adult dogs have 42 permanent teeth against our 32 – the extra ten are mostly premolars and molars built for shearing and crushing rather than the flat chewing surfaces we rely on.
Do dogs lose their baby teeth?
They do, all 28 of them. The deciduous teeth start dropping out from around four months as the adult teeth push through, and the swap is usually finished by six to seven months.
How many teeth does a puppy have?
Twenty-eight, with no molars. Those only come in with the permanent set once the jaw has grown enough to fit them.
Is it normal for an adult dog to have fewer than 42?
It happens, often after extractions or with crowded small-breed mouths where a tooth never erupted. It’s worth a vet noting, but a dog missing a tooth or two usually copes perfectly well. Next time your dog yawns, take the half-second to glance at the back of the mouth – the molars you can barely see are the ones that quietly do the hardest work, and the first place trouble tends to hide.
Sources & References
- American Kennel Club – https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/how-many-teeth-do-dogs-have/ – supports the 42 adult / 28 puppy counts and the incisor, canine, premolar and molar breakdown.
- Advanced Animal Dentistry – https://animaldental.com.au/guide-to-dental-care-for-dogs/ – supports retained baby teeth and small or brachycephalic breed crowding, and the recommended dental check around four to five months.