Retained Deciduous Teeth: Starting at around three months of age, adult teeth begin forming—occasionally the emerging adult teeth don’t push out the original baby teeth (deciduous teeth) resulting in both the adult and baby tooth being present at once. The presence of the baby teeth causes the adult tooth to occupy the wrong position in the mouth, which may result in an improper bite or malocclusion where the teeth don’t meet as they are supposed to. The retained baby teeth also prevent the gums from attaching to the adult teeth in the correct way allowing plaque and tartar to form between the teeth and under the gumline.
The extraction procedure is fairly quick but care must be taken to not damage the developing adult teeth. This condition occurs more commonly in small-breed dogs but can affect any breed.
At Elevated Pet Dentistry, only our skilled veterinarian performs these procedures with the utmost care, emphasizing patient comfort and safety. The recovery process for extractions is relatively quick, with many patients being able to eat soft food soon after the procedure, and back to full health within several days.