Between the ages of 4-6 months, puppy and kitten teeth are replaced with permanent adult teeth. This process can last into the seventh month of life and owners should monitor their pet’s mouth for any adolescent teeth that remain in the mouth after the permanent teeth emerge. Retained deciduous teeth may cause damage to adult teeth, overcrowding and miss-alignment. Surgical extraction is the only way to remove these teeth and must be performed under general anesthesia. For this reason, most pet owners and veterinarians agree that the best time to perform the extractions is during routine spay/neuter surgery around that same age. The most common teeth to be retained are incisors and upper canine teeth.
Ask us at Animal Central for more information on retained deciduous teeth or visit: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2089&aid=381
Dr. George Stroberg, DVM and Staff
