My 18-month-old rescue dog has very worn teeth. What's the cause?

Sometimes dogs wear their teeth down by chewing on things. Such as if he used to chew tennis balls all the time, or was in a cage and chewed and pulled on the doors. It would be very rare that they would have been filed down on purpose. I assume he probably wore them down doing something repetitively. Best of luck I’m glad he now has a great forever home! Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi there and thank you for your post! From the pictures you provided, there is definitely some severe attrition (dental wearing) occurring throughout Judge's mouth. I see many dogs with worn teeth and most of the time, there are no issues with the worn teeth other than the fact that they typically accumulate tartar faster than non-worn teeth (this is because the enamel has been worn off). The only concern I would have would be that I can see the small dot in the center of the tooth. This structure is known as the pulp chamber, which houses the nerve and blood supply to the tooth. If this is exposed, the current recommendation is to either have a root canal performed or have the tooth removed. It does appear that Judge has tartar on his teeth. I would recommend a dental cleaning under anesthesia and have the teeth checked for any signs of pulp exposure. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available by phone or text based consultation if needed. If Judge chews on hard bones or toys, I would stop this so that the wearing does not worsen.

Poor Trey! I would recommend having the worn teeth checked by a veterinarian - he/she should be able to tell you if they need to be extracted (i.e., if the pulp cavity is exposed, etc.), or if the teeth are okay to be left alone. There isn't really anything you can do about them at home, one way or the other.

There are two reasons why the incisors (front teeth) of your dog could be worn down: 1) he could have the habit of picking up stones and other hard things, which wears teeth down, or he could be an older dog. The most reliable way to find out Marty's age is to take him to a vet for an estimate, as the vet can look at his condition , bones and muscles and general look to give you an idea of his age.

Rocko has signs of wear on all his incisors. This could be due to chewing on kennel walls or fencing or it could be due to misalignment of the teeth. These teeth may need to be removed at some point. I recommend to have Rocko examined by a veterinarian to examine the teeth., This will give you a better idea of if there is any pain or other signs of dental disease indicating that they should be removed sooner. Stop him from chewing on crates/fencing as well if that is occurring. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

She definitely has some wear on those teeth - often that particular pattern is caused by chewing tennis balls a lot or being really itchy and chewing at the skin a lot. The only way to know if the teeth are healthy is a dental x-ray and exam under anesthesia, so I can't say for sure if it's an issue or not. With a dental x-ray, her vet can look at the tooth roots and also make sure the gingiva is healthy. This is definitely not an emergency, but I would recommend bringing it up at her next appointment.

The missing teeth may indicate old age or could indicate severe dental disease that is common in smaller breed dogs. I would recommend to take him to your local veterinarians office to have him scanned for a microchip just in case he is lost. It probably would not be a bad idea to have him checked out as well and to get an estimate of his age. Offer a mixture of dry and canned food as well as pick up some dewormer from the veterinarians office. Best of luck with your rescue!