Will a puppy's underbite improve or worsen as they grow older?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Pippa. Every puppy grows and develops at a different rate. At this age, I would recommend monitoring her. If her facial conformation continues to rapidly change, then you will need to discuss it with her veterinarian. If any of her teeth are causing pain by contacting the opposite gum tissue, then intervention by.a veterinary dentist may be necessary. Most puppies will be fine. An underbite is generally less worrisome then an overbite where the lower canine teeth can contact the hard palate. I hope this information helps!

Slight underbites and overbites do not cause any major issue in terms of eating, drinking, chewing on a bone or grinding teeth. If you are concerned, there are veterinary dentists. You would have to ask your veterinarian if there is one in your area and get a referral. In my 17 years of practice, I have seen dogs with severe under bites do just fine! But I have heard of veterinary dental braces which would need a veterinary dentist. I do not recommend putting any dog through that unless it was absolutely necessary though.

An over bite can be a problem depending on the alignment of the lower jaw. If the lower canines come in contact with the hard pallet, then that can cause a problem. This can be fixed however by removing the lower teeth or shortening and capping them. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

If the underbite is mild, most pets live with not issues due to the abnormality (there are some breeds where an underbite is actually standard to the breed, such as a bulldog). If the underbite is more severe it may cause problems and if you had plans for breeding the dog it would not be advised with this abnormality.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your puppy. It is difficult to say, but it appears that the lower two adult teeth are starting to erupt. This typically happens at about 16 weeks of age. As the teeth fully erupt, they tend to straighten out. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! An overbite or underbite is genetic and can be passed to future offspring. It is usually not recommended to breed these pets since this is not a desired trait and does not improve the breeding lineage. That being said, most people will still use these pets as breeders despite the malocclusion. The bite can cause abnormal wear on the enamel of the teeth or chewing problems depending on how severe. Also, some genetic problems don’t show up until a pet is older (like hip dysplasia). The decision is still yours whether or not you want to use her for breeding. Kisses to Abby!

What you are describing is an underbite. It is hard to tell from the photos but it also looks like his jaw is not in alignment. That may just be the angle or the quality of the photo. Without examining myself I can't really say. Unless you want to spend a lot of money at a veterinary dental specialist trying to have this "fixed" I don't see the reason to do anything about it. I don't even know if you have dental specialists in Zim so you would likely have to bring him to South Africa. Really, this is a cosmetic problem and likely will not cause him any problems in the future. There is nothing you can do for this at home to rectify it. I personally would not be concerned if this was my dog so I have to agree with your vets. Sorry, I wish I had a quick fix for you but there is not really anything to be done. Hope this helps. Best wishes.