How Many Teeth Do Dogs Have? 28 Puppy Teeth, 42 Adult Teeth
Adult dogs have 42 teeth. Puppies have 28. VCA, PetMD, and AKC on the count, teething timing, and leftover baby teeth.
Adult dogs have 42 permanent teeth. Puppies have 28 baby teeth. VCA and PetMD publish those two numbers. Humans have 32. The extra dog teeth are not a trivia prize. They are why a leftover puppy tooth matters.
Count the adult set after teething. Do not invent a breed-by-breed chart. A toy dog still aims at 42.
Who. Dr. Janet Greenfield, BVMS, CVA, CERP, Veterinarian of Animals. How. VCA’s retained deciduous teeth page, PetMD’s tooth-count page, and the AKC dental-care explainer. Why. Search results mix puppy counts with adult counts. Owners need the two labeled numbers and a reason to call if a baby tooth stays.
28 puppy teeth, 42 adult teeth
PetMD says puppies are born without teeth. Puppy teeth start at about 3 to 4 weeks. By 3 to 5 months they usually have all 28. Adult eruption sits between 3 and 7 months.
| Source | What they publish |
|---|---|
| VCA | 28 puppy teeth, 42 adult teeth |
| PetMD | 42 adult teeth: 20 upper, 22 lower |
| AKC | 28 deciduous, then 42 permanent |
The four tooth types
AKC’s dental page, quoting veterinarians, puts 12 incisors in front, 4 canines, 16 premolars, and molars at the back. Those add to the adult 42. We will not turn that into a chew-toy shopping list.
If you want a breed page after the count, the Chihuahua lifespan guide is a small-dog year range, not a different tooth number.
When teeth change
That window is why a 5-month puppy can look gappy one week and crowded the next. PetMD notes toy and small breeds can take longer. Late is a reason to look, not a reason to wait a year.
Leftover baby teeth
Two teeth in one slot trap food and twist the adult tooth. Small breeds show this more often. Do not wiggle it out with a towel. The veterinarian who sees that mouth decides timing, often with a planned anesthetic procedure.
What this page will not prescribe
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| “Small dogs just have fewer teeth.” | PetMD: adult dogs have 42 teeth regardless of size. A short count needs an exam. |
| “The baby tooth will fall out if I wait.” | VCA treats retained deciduous teeth as a problem. AKC says leftover puppy teeth need extraction. |
| “I’ll pull it at home.” | Broken roots and infection are why this page sends you to the veterinarian, not a pair of pliers. |
Read how we handle owner claims on the about page. This page is editorial. It is not a dental chart for a specific dog.
Questions owners ask next
How many teeth do adult dogs have?
PetMD and VCA both publish 42 permanent teeth in adult dogs. PetMD splits that as 20 in the upper jaw and 22 in the lower jaw. Humans have 32. Size does not change the adult count. A Chihuahua and a Great Dane are both aiming at 42.
How many teeth do puppies have?
VCA says puppies have 28 deciduous teeth, also called baby or milk teeth. PetMD says those puppy teeth usually start at 3 to 4 weeks and are typically all in by 3 to 5 months. Puppies are born without teeth.
When do puppies get adult teeth?
VCA says teething starts about 3.5 to 4 months, when deciduous incisors start to be replaced. By 6 to 7 months, most puppies have all of their adult teeth. PetMD puts permanent eruption between 3 and 7 months. Toy breeds can run later.
What if a baby tooth does not fall out?
VCA’s retained-deciduous-teeth page treats leftover puppy teeth as a veterinary problem, not a wait-and-see quirk. A stuck baby tooth can crowd the adult tooth and trap food. AKC says puppy teeth that do not fall out need a veterinarian to extract them.
Do small dogs have fewer teeth?
No. PetMD states that all adult dogs, regardless of size, have 42 permanent teeth. A missing count on exam is a reason to look, not a breed trait you should expect.
How does that compare with cats?
This page is the dog count. Cats have a different number. Do not reuse 42 for a cat, and do not reuse a cat number for a dog. If the mouth question is about vision or night sight instead, start with the dog color-vision guide.
Should I pull a loose puppy tooth at home?
No. Home pulling can break a root and infect the socket. If a tooth is leftover, crooked, or the puppy is not eating, the veterinarian who sees that mouth decides. This page is editorial. It is not a dental plan.