Yellow, brown and black teeth in dogs:what each colour means

What tooth colour means in dogs: a quick guide

Healthy adult dog teeth are usually white or slightly cream-coloured, with smooth, glossy enamel. The gums around them are pink (dark-pigmented in some breeds) and fit snugly around each tooth.

If the colour has changed, the first question is whether something is sitting on the surface of the tooth or whether the tooth itself has changed colour from the inside. Deposits — plaque and tartar — are usually seen at the gum line and on several teeth at once. Internal discolouration more often affects a single tooth and tints the whole crown.

Below is more detail on each of them.

Yellow teeth in dogs: soft plaque

A dull, yellowish layer that comes off with a toothbrush or gauze is plaque: a bacterial film that forms on the teeth every day. There is usually most of it on the canines and the large upper back teeth, near the gum line.

Plaque is not yet disease, but it is the start of it: the bacteria in it irritate the gums and cause gingivitis — redness and bleeding along the gum margin. At this stage the changes are reversible: regular brushing at home and, if needed, professional cleaning bring the gums back to health.

If plaque is not removed, within a few days it begins to harden into tartar. How to prevent that is covered in How to brush your dog’s teeth properly.

Brown and black teeth in dogs: tartar

A hard, yellow-brown build-up at the gum line that will not brush off is tartar (calculus) — mineralised plaque. Over time it darkens to brown, grey-green and almost black. A thick layer of old tartar is the most common reason owners say their “dog has black teeth”.

Under the tartar the tooth is usually its normal colour. But that is no reason to relax: tartar keeps bacteria against the gums, and inflammation develops underneath that destroys the bone around the root. Tartar cannot be removed safely at home — I explain why in Removing dog tartar at home.

An example is the case COHAT in a Maltipoo: the owner came in because of dark areas on the teeth and bad breath, and under the deposits there was a mobile tooth with stage IV periodontal disease.

Yellowish or brown tooth tips in an older dog: wear

As dogs age, their teeth wear down — from hard treats and toys, tennis balls, or a habit of chewing cage bars or stones. The enamel at the tip thins and the dentin shows through — the tissue under the enamel, which is naturally more yellow. So older or worn teeth may look yellower, and this is not always a disease.

When a tooth wears slowly, the pulp has time to protect itself: a new layer of dentin is laid down from the inside — tertiary, or reparative, dentin. On a worn tip it looks like a smooth, hard, shiny brown spot.

But an opening into the pulp can look just the same — a dark dot — if wear or a chip has exposed it. Telling the two apart by eye is not always possible: the vet checks the spot with a fine dental explorer and takes a dental radiograph of the root.

If your dog’s teeth are noticeably worn, it is worth reviewing the toys too: which chews can fracture a dog’s tooth.

A pink tooth in a dog: bleeding into the pulp

If one tooth — often a canine or an incisor — has turned pink, this usually means bleeding into the pulp after a knock. The dog may have hit furniture or a door, caught a stick or a stone, or been hurt during play. Blood from the damaged vessels seeps into the dentin from the inside, and the tooth turns pink.

A pink tooth means an inflamed pulp that may recover or may die. Such a tooth should be shown to a dentist as early as possible, ideally within the first days after the injury: the vet will assess the tooth, take a radiograph and decide whether it can be monitored or needs treatment.

A grey, purple or brown tooth: the pulp has probably died

When a single tooth gradually turns grey, purple, bluish or brownish, it often means the pulp inside is no longer vital. The usual cause is an old injury the owner may not even have known about.

On the outside, such a tooth may cause no obvious trouble for a long time, and the dog eats as usual. But a non-vital pulp opens a route for infection to the root tip: inflammation or an abscess can develop there, sometimes with swelling on the face.

Whether to treat such a tooth with a root canal or extract it is decided after dental radiographs. More in the article Why a tooth has changed colour and on the Discoloured tooth page.

A fractured tooth with a dark or pink dot: exposed pulp

If a piece of a tooth has broken off and there is a pink, red or dark dot in the centre of the fracture, the pulp is exposed. Bacteria from the mouth get inside the tooth through it. For the dog this is usually painful, even if it does not show it.

An exposed pulp does not heal on its own. The sooner the vet examines the tooth, the more treatment options there may be. What to do in the first hours is explained in What to do if your dog has broken a canine.

Chalky-white or brown patches on the enamel: enamel defects

Dull chalky-white, yellow or brown areas with an uneven, rough surface, sometimes with pits, are what enamel developmental defects (enamel hypoplasia) look like. Enamel forms before the permanent teeth erupt, and if something disrupts its development at that time, the defect stays for life.

Possible causes include an illness with a high fever at a young age (a classic example is canine distemper), or injury or inflammation around a temporary (baby) tooth. Often the exact cause cannot be established.

A rough surface collects plaque more easily, and thin or missing enamel protects the dentin less well. So such a tooth is assessed and, if needed, protected with a restoration — as in the case canine restoration for an enamel defect.

A much less common cause is even yellow or grey-brown staining of several teeth after certain tetracycline-group antibiotics given while the teeth were forming. This conclusion can only be drawn after an examination, once other causes have been ruled out.

“Rotting teeth” in a dog: what lies behind the words

When an owner says their dog’s teeth are “rotting”, it is usually not about decay as in humans, but about advanced periodontal disease. The teeth are covered in dark tartar, the gums are red and receding, the roots are exposed, the breath smells strongly, and some teeth are loose or have already fallen out. Underneath, the bone that held the teeth has been destroyed.

Advanced periodontal disease is painful, even if the dog is eating. Teeth that have lost most of their support usually cannot be saved. Once they are extracted and the rest of the mouth is treated, eating as a rule becomes more comfortable for the dog. More in the article What periodontal disease in dogs is and in the case periodontal disease in a Yorkie.

Dogs can get caries (tooth decay) too, although much less often than periodontal disease. It looks like a dark, softened area — usually on the chewing surface of the large back teeth. An explorer and radiographs help tell caries from staining or tertiary dentin.

How to photograph your dog’s teeth to show the vet

If you are not sure what you are seeing, photograph the teeth and send them for an online consultation. Shoot in daylight without zoom: lift the lip and photograph the canines and back teeth on both sides, as well as the front teeth. If a single tooth has changed colour, take one more close-up.

Photos help assess visible changes and urgency, but they do not show the roots and bone.

Why tooth colour is a clue, not a diagnosis

The same shade can have different causes, and an outwardly white tooth may hide a diseased root. That is why I make the final diagnosis after an examination under anaesthesia, periodontal probing and full-mouth dental radiographs — as part of COHAT. It is the radiographs that show the state of the roots, the bone and the tissues around the root tip.

How much a dog dental examination costs

You can start with an examination and consultation at the clinic or an online consultation based on photos. If diagnostics and treatment under anaesthesia are needed, approximate prices for the basic COHAT protocol and anaesthesia are below.

Frequently asked questions