How many teeth do dogs and cats have?dental formula, tooth chart and tooth numbering

How many teeth do dogs, cats, puppies and kittens have

The number of teeth depends on the species, not on size: a Yorkshire Terrier and a German Shepherd both have 42 permanent teeth — the small dog simply fits them into a much smaller jaw.

These are average figures, and in an individual animal teeth may appear a little earlier or later. A detailed calendar is in the articles on when puppies lose their baby teeth and kitten teething.

Dog and cat tooth chart

On the chart you can choose dog or cat, permanent or temporary teeth, and see the name and number of every tooth. It is handy to keep it open next to a dental report: teeth there are usually labelled with exactly these numbers.

Dog and cat dental formula: how to read it

A dental formula is a shorthand for how many teeth of each type there are in one half of the mouth. The letters stand for tooth types: I — incisors, C — canines, P — premolars, M — molars; lower-case letters are used for temporary teeth. The number above the line is the upper jaw, the number below is the lower jaw, and the multiplier 2 accounts for the right and left sides.

• Dog, permanent teeth: 2 × (I 3/3, C 1/1, P 4/4, M 2/3) = 42
• Dog, temporary teeth: 2 × (i 3/3, c 1/1, p 3/3) = 28
• Cat, permanent teeth: 2 × (I 3/3, C 1/1, P 3/2, M 1/1) = 30
• Cat, temporary teeth: 2 × (i 3/3, c 1/1, p 3/2) = 26

The formula shows the main difference: a dog has more premolars and molars, while a cat has only one molar in each half of each jaw — its teeth are built for slicing meat. And there are no molars among the temporary teeth: in both puppies and kittens they erupt as permanent teeth straight away.

Tooth types and what each one does

Dog and cat teeth are not all alike: each group has its own shape and its own job.

• Incisors are the small front teeth, six in each jaw. They pick up small pieces, nibble and work through the coat during grooming.
• Canines are the longest teeth, two in each jaw. They hold prey, a toy or an object, and a canine's root is much longer than the visible crown.
• Premolars sit behind the canines and have sharp cutting edges. They are used to bite off and cut up pieces. A dog has four in each half of each jaw; a cat has three upper and two lower.
• Molars are the teeth furthest back. In dogs they are broader, with cusps used to crush and break up food. A cat has one molar in each half of each jaw.

It is also worth knowing about the carnassial teeth — the largest cutting teeth: the upper fourth premolar and the lower first molar. They close like scissors when a pet bites through large pieces. In dogs the upper carnassial tooth has three roots, which sit close to the area under the eye. That is why inflammation around its roots sometimes shows up not as a problem in the mouth but as a swelling under the eye.

What 'tooth 108' means: the Triadan numbering system

In a veterinary dentist's report, teeth are usually labelled with three-digit numbers from the modified Triadan system. It identifies a tooth precisely, without descriptions like 'the second tooth behind the upper right canine'.

The first digit is the quadrant, a quarter of the mouth. Right and left are the animal's own right and left, not those of the person looking at it:

• 1 — upper jaw, right;
• 2 — upper jaw, left;
• 3 — lower jaw, left;
• 4 — lower jaw, right;
• 5, 6, 7, 8 — the same quadrants in the same order, but for temporary teeth.

The next two digits are the tooth's position counted from the midline: 01–03 incisors, 04 canine, 05–08 premolars, 09–11 molars. Hence a simple rule: a canine's number always ends in 04, and the first molar's in 09.

So 108 is the upper right fourth premolar — the carnassial tooth. 304 is the lower left canine. 409 is the lower right first molar. 504 is the temporary upper right canine.

Cats have fewer teeth, but the numbers are not shifted: missing positions are simply skipped. That is why a cat's upper premolars are numbered 106, 107 and 108 (there is no 105), and the lower ones 307–308 and 407–408. As a result, the carnassial teeth have the same numbers in dogs and cats: 108 and 208 in the upper jaw, 309 and 409 in the lower jaw.

One more feature of dogs: the first premolars (105, 205, 305, 405) have no temporary predecessors and erupt as permanent teeth straight away. That is why a puppy has three temporary premolars in each quadrant, not four.

Why there may be fewer or more teeth than the formula says

The formula describes the norm. If you count the teeth of a particular animal, the number may not match — and that is not always just a quirk. Here are the main reasons.

A tooth is not visible: missing or unerupted?

If a permanent tooth is missing from the mouth, there are several possible explanations: the tooth never developed, it was lost or extracted earlier, a root was left under the gum — or the tooth never erupted and stayed in the bone. These situations look the same from the outside and can only be told apart on dental radiographs.

An unerupted tooth is not simply 'one tooth short'. A dentigerous (tooth-containing) cyst sometimes forms around its crown and gradually destroys the jawbone. In dogs the lower first premolars (305 and 405) are particularly prone to this, especially in brachycephalic breeds. Read more in the article on an unerupted tooth in a dog and in the clinical case where only 0.3 mm of bone was left next to an unerupted canine.

'Extra' teeth

Additional, or supernumerary, teeth occur in both dogs and cats. If there is enough room and all the teeth are healthy, treatment may not be needed. But when teeth are crowded, plaque builds up between them more easily and the area is prone to gum inflammation and periodontitis. In that case the plan is discussed after an examination.

In a young animal, an 'extra' tooth quite often turns out to be a temporary tooth that has not fallen out.

A temporary tooth has not fallen out

If the permanent tooth has already erupted but the temporary one is still next to it, there are more teeth in the mouth than there should be. Most often this happens with the canines — the so-called double canines in puppies.

The temporary tooth stops the permanent one from moving into the right position, plaque collects between them and the bite may change. What to do — see Retained temporary teeth.

Crowded mouths: short-nosed breeds

In Pugs, French Bulldogs, Shih Tzus, Pekingese and other brachycephalic breeds, the same number of teeth has to fit into a shortened jaw. Their premolars may be crowded, overlapping or rotated. Plaque and food debris collect more easily in these gaps, so the gums there need extra attention. The same can happen in flat-faced cats such as Persians and Exotics.

An adult cat seems to have fewer teeth

In cats, the number of visible teeth can decrease with age because of tooth resorption (TR): the tooth tissue is gradually destroyed, the crown breaks off and remnants of the root stay under the gum. If you notice that a tooth has 'disappeared' in your cat, have it checked — see the article on tooth resorption in cats.

What is normal in the mouth

Counting teeth is useful, but for health it matters more how they are positioned and what state the gums are in. This is what is usually considered normal in dogs and cats:

• A scissor bite. The upper incisors sit slightly in front of the lower ones, and the lower incisors touch them from the inside.
• The lower canine fits into the gap between the upper third incisor and the upper canine without pressing on either.
• A dog's premolars interlock like the teeth of pinking shears when the mouth is closed and do not hit each other.
• The teeth do not injure soft tissues: there are no sores, dents or tooth marks on the palate, gums or lips.
• The gums are pink (or have natural dark pigment patches), with a smooth edge, not swollen and not bleeding when touched lightly.
• The teeth have no chips, discolouration or yellow-brown deposits at the gum line.

Some breed standards allow a different bite — for example, a lower jaw longer than the upper one, as in Boxers or English Bulldogs. Then the key question is whether the teeth injure the gums, palate or lips and whether the pet can pick up and bite food comfortably.

But even crowns that look perfect do not show what is happening below the gum line: roots and bone are assessed under anaesthesia, with periodontal probing and full-mouth dental radiography, as part of the COHAT protocol.

How much a dental check-up with a veterinary dentist costs

The number and position of the teeth, the bite and the state of the gums can be checked at an in-clinic consultation. If you are not in Kyiv, start with an online consultation: send photos of the teeth from the front and both sides, and I will tell you whether an in-person examination is needed.

Frequently asked questions