My 4-month-old puppy's tooth is discolored. Baby or adult tooth?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Luna. It looks like it could be her baby tooth, and if the tooth is turning brown, I'm worried about the viability of the tooth. If the pulp is exposed, this will also cause her pain. Have her seen by her vet in the morning to discuss removing this tooth as needed. I hope this helps!

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.

Congratulations on your new puppy! Teeth can appear discolored if there has been damage to the blood supply for the tooth or just before a baby tooth is about to fall out. If you feel there may be an abscess present i would recommend that you have her seen by your veterinarian sooner

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.

Canine (fang) teeth usually erupt between 5-6 months of age. Since Daisy is not quite 5 months old yet, the chance of her having a fully erupted adult canine tooth is quite slim. The tooth in the picture looks much more like a baby tooth than an impressively large adult canine tooth in a dog her size. With that said, I'd still recommend having your vet perform a full oral exam on Daisy during her next visit. They may also recommend taking dental x-rays to be sure that the full tooth root came out, as retained roots can be problematic. Odds are good that her tooth was already just a little bit loose and this rough playing just sped up the process. It's always better to be safe than sorry!

The tooth that is cracked looks like a baby canine tooth. The adult canine tooth will not come in until closer to 6 months of age. The problem is if the pulp cavity of the tooth is open, the broken tooth can be painful and can get infected. I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Ella and determine if anything needs to be done about the tooth now or if we can just wait for her adult tooth to come in and push the baby tooth out. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is enamel erosion/hypoplasia- probably congenital. You need to have her evaluated by a veterinary dental specialist. ( https://atlantaveterinarydentistry.net/ ) ( https://www.azvetdentists.com/index.php/vet-dental-services/crowns-a-restorative-dentistry/124-enamel-hypoplasia-in-pet-teeth )