My 9-month-old dog lost a tooth, but the gap looks huge. What happened?

The picture is a little blurry but it does appear to look like a tooth. Makivali should have lost all his puppy teeth by ten months old but some small breed dogs can be late in development. If you don’t know what adult teeth look like vs puppy teeth, I would recommend to have him seen by his veterinarian to know if this is a normal tooth shedding or if this is a broken tooth, tooth root abscess or other pathological process. Many times pets don’t exhibit many signs of dental pain so you can’t base a decision off how he is acting. If it’s a normal puppy tooth, no reason to change his food. If it’s related to disease, you need to address that and may temporarily change him to a soft diet. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. Can you tell from which side the tooth came from?. Especially in the smaller breeds, losing a puppy tooth can be significantly delayed. Lift up Jaxson's gums at the canine teeth & look for any swelling or bleeding. If everything looks OK, then this was just a delayed puppy tooth loss. Any concerns, please see your vet for follow up. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I do see a baby tooth there (the really pointy sharp tooth) and that is likely the tooth you are saying is really loose. Usually pets lose their baby teeth by the age of 6 months, so Vader is a bit of a late bloomer. I would recommend having your vet take a look at the tooth in person to see if it can be manipulated to come out. It may just come out on its own, but again, usually by this age the baby teeth are already gone. No need to worry too much however. If it does not come out on its own, then it can always be extracted at a later date. It is best to extract them to avoid overcrowding of the teeth and advanced dental disease. I would recommend brushing Vaders teeth often (3 times a week) to help remove foodstuffs that might get stuck there. Otherwise, plan on seeing your vet soon for further care if it doesn't happen to fall out soon. Best wishes with Vader and good luck with his stubborn baby tooth. Take care.

No, it isn't normal for a one year old dog to suddenly lose a tooth. It could be a retained baby tooth that just fell out, or Myles could have hurt his tooth causing it to fall out. I would have him seen by a vet. He needs his mouth examined to determine if the root is still present, and it will have to be removed if it is.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If the baby tooth that was knocked out came out intact, meaning the entire root is present then he should be fine. If the tooth was broken then it could abscess or affect the adult tooth. The loose one will fall out on its own as that is the normal progression. If you are planning to neuter him you can do it sooner and have the vet X-ray the broken tooth and remove it while he’s under. I hope this helps!

If Dozer is only 3 months old then it is very common for loose milk teeth to fall out during rough play. It should be absolutely fine as even if the tooth has broken the permanent tooth should push the fragment out when it erupts. You can have a look and feel the gum line, you shouldn't be able to see or feel any fragments where it has come from. If in doubt you would need to have your vet check for you.

I would not be too concerned about the tooth at this time. It is difficult to tell from the picture, but the tooth in question looks as if it is a baby tooth that has broken off. If this is the case, the tooth will fall out sometime between 12-16 weeks of age. If this is an adult tooth, then I would recommend you continue to monitor it for now. If the tooth is still looking abnormal at the time of your dog’s spay (around 6 months of age) then your vet can remove it while she is already under anesthesia. This way it will not cause any future problems. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.