Many people don’t pay much attention to their dog’s teeth unless they’re brushing them regularly (and let’s face it, brushing a canine’s teeth can be challenging, so many of us don’t do it as often as we should). But you should pay attention to your dog’s dental health, as dental disease or misaligned teeth can cause problems for your pup. If you do look at your dog’s teeth on a regular basis, then you might have found that your pet’s teeth are crooked.
Why are your dog’s teeth crooked? There are a handful of causes for crooked teeth, but it essentially boils down to your pup having a malocclusion. Here’s a closer look at why your pet’s teeth may be crooked and how the problem might be remedied.
Why Are My Dog’s Teeth Crooked?
Though there are several reasons a dog’s teeth could be crooked, these issues fall under the label of malocclusions. What is malocclusion? This simply means that teeth don’t fit together properly when the mouth is closed, which can be due to either skeletal or dental malocclusion. A skeletal malocclusion means that a dog’s jaws aren’t in proper alignment, while a dental malocclusion means a dog’s teeth are positioned abnormally. The term “malocclusion” can cover many things, though, and these things tend to be hereditary.
One of the things that falls under dental malocclusion is persistent deciduous teeth. Puppies have baby teeth, known as deciduous teeth, that should begin falling out between three and six months of age for most pups. However, sometimes deciduous teeth don’t fall out, which can cause issues in the mouth.
For example, a persistent deciduous tooth could cause an adult tooth to come in crooked, or a permanent tooth growing next to the deciduous one could result in a small space between the teeth that are right for trapping debris and food, which could lead to periodontal disease. Persistent deciduous teeth can also lead to overcrowding in a dog’s mouth, which can cause crooked teeth.
You might also find that your pup has hyperdontia, which means extra teeth in the mouth, or hypodontia, which means a few missing teeth. A dog could also experience oligodontia, which means there are multiple missing teeth. Then there is microdontia, or smaller than normal teeth, and macrodontia, which is larger than normal teeth. All of these could potentially result in teeth becoming crooked.
A more common dental issue in canines is lingually displaced canines. When this happens, a dog’s lower canines are angled inward towards the tongue. The result is these canines repeatedly hitting against the roof of the mouth and causing injury; if holes occur in the roof of the mouth, it could also lead to sinus infections.
Lanced teeth are somewhat similar in that they don’t point the correct way. These are upper teeth that point forward instead of pointing down as they should. This could lead to issues with a dog’s bite, or they could constantly bite their lip when the mouth closes.
A dog might also have crooked teeth due to a crossbite. A caudal crossbite is when one of the lower teeth points toward the cheek, while the top teeth don’t point that way as much. A rostral crossbite occurs when one or more of a dog’s lower incisors end up in front of the top incisors when the mouth closes.
So, there are many reasons your pup’s teeth could be crooked, but mostly, it’s a hereditary malocclusion.
Can You Fix a Dog’s Crooked Teeth?
You can, in many cases. Believe it or not, there are braces for canines! Braces might not be a solution for all dogs, but they can help with issues such as too many baby teeth that didn’t fall out and lingually displaced canines, among other problems. Braces for dogs are pretty pricey, though, so you want to talk with your vet about whether your dog really needs them before you make any decisions about getting them.
There are other solutions for crooked teeth, too, depending on what’s causing them. The fix may be as simple as extracting teeth or even just filing teeth down. In the case of lingually displaced canines, if the problem is very minor, ball therapy may be an option.
Your vet will know best whether your dog needs treatment for crooked teeth or whether the issue is purely cosmetic and won’t cause further problems, so speak to them if you have concerns.
Final Thoughts
Crooked teeth aren’t uncommon in canines, and there are many reasons crooked teeth can occur. Essentially, though, crooked teeth are due to malocclusions that are typically hereditary. In some cases, crooked teeth could cause further dental health issues, but this isn’t always the case. Speak with your vet if you’re concerned about your pup’s crooked teeth, and let them guide you on whether your dog needs treatment.
Featured Image Credit: Firn, Shutterstock
