Breeders, show judges, veterinarians and others who want to express specific dental conditions in dogs and cats need to use the proper terms. This article will review commonly used and misused words to describe tooth alignment. Most breeds have forty-two adult teeth. Cats have twenty-six deciduous and thirty adult teeth. There are four types of teeth.
Incisors are the smaller teeth located between the canines on the upper and lower jaws.
They are used for grasping food and help keep the tongue within the mouth. The molars are the last teeth in the mouth. They are used for grinding nourishment for entry into the esophagus. Two extra incisor teeth erupted in this puppy's upper jaw Dogs and cats are frequently born without the proper number of teeth. The American Kennel Club sets the standards concerning minimum number of teeth for each breed of dog that can be shown.