Dog Teeth Diagram: How Many Teeth Dogs Have & What Each One Does

Adult dogs have 42 teeth. Puppies have 28. That's the quick answer — but the more useful thing is knowing which teeth those are, what each one does, and what they should look like when they're healthy. Below you'll find a clear, labelled dog teeth diagram, a breakdown of the four types of teeth and their jobs, and the timeline for when puppies swap their baby teeth for adult ones.

The dog teeth diagram

Here's how a healthy adult dog's mouth is laid out — 42 teeth in total, split across the upper and lower jaws. Tap a group below to see its name, count and job.

How many teeth do dogs have?

A fully grown dog has 42 permanent teeth — and they're not split evenly. The upper jaw holds 20 and the lower jaw holds 22. That two-tooth difference catches a lot of people out; it's simply because the lower jaw has room for an extra pair of molars right at the back.

Puppies, by comparison, have 28 baby teeth — and no molars at all in that first set. More on the puppy timeline further down.

The four types of dog teeth (and what each does)

Dogs are built to grip, tear and crush, and their teeth are specialised for it. There are four types, each with a different job.

Incisors (12)

The small teeth across the front — six up top, six on the bottom. Dogs use them for delicate work: nibbling, grooming, and picking up small objects.

Canines (4)

The four long, pointed "fangs" at the corners of the mouth. These do the gripping and tearing, and they're what people mean by "K9 teeth" — a play on the word canine. They're the most prominent teeth in the mouth and the ones you'll notice first.

Premolars (16)

The teeth running along the sides, behind the canines. They shear and slice food. Because dogs chew hard on this part of the mouth, the premolars are the most common place for a cracked tooth — especially in dogs that gnaw on bones, antlers or hard chews.

Molars (10)

The big, flat teeth right at the back, used for grinding and crushing. This is where the upper/lower difference lives: dogs have four molars up top and six on the bottom. They're also the hardest teeth to reach with a brush, so they tend to collect the most tartar.

The carnassial teeth — the ones that do the heavy lifting

Two pairs of teeth deserve a special mention: the large upper premolar and lower molar towards the back on each side, known as the carnassial teeth. These are the big shearing teeth a dog uses to crack and slice through tougher food — and because they take so much force, they're a common site for cracks and for a painful infection called a carnassial abscess, which often shows up as a swelling just below the eye. If you ever spot a lump on your dog's face beneath the eye, that back tooth is the usual suspect and it's a vet job.

Puppy teeth: the timeline

Just like us, dogs get two sets of teeth in their lifetime. Here's how the switch happens.

During teething, a bit of extra chewing, mild gum soreness and the odd spot of blood on a chew toy are all normal. Offering a few safe, softer chew toys gives your puppy something appropriate to gnaw on and takes the pressure off your furniture (and your hands). Two things are worth a vet's eye, though: a baby tooth that hasn't fallen out once the adult tooth is coming in (a "retained" tooth, common in toy breeds, which can crowd the mouth), and any adult tooth that looks broken or discoloured.

This is also the right age to start getting your dog used to having their mouth handled — a few seconds of lifting the lip and touching the teeth, paired with a treat, makes everything from brushing to vet checks far easier for the rest of their life.

Do dogs have wisdom teeth?

No — "wisdom teeth" are a human thing (our third set of molars, which arrive late and often cause trouble). Dogs don't have an equivalent. Every one of a dog's 42 adult teeth comes through as part of the normal set by about six or seven months, with nothing extra arriving later in life.

Do small dogs and flat-faced breeds have different teeth?

The number is the same — almost every adult dog, from a Chihuahua to a Great Dane, has 42 teeth. What changes is how much room those teeth have. Small breeds and flat-faced (brachycephalic) dogs like Pugs and French Bulldogs fit the same 42 teeth into a much smaller jaw, so the teeth often overlap and crowd. Crowded teeth trap food and plaque in the gaps, which is a big reason small breeds tend to get dental disease earlier and more severely than large ones. If you've got a small or flat-faced dog, their mouth is worth keeping a closer eye on.

What do healthy vs unhealthy teeth look like?

Now you know what's there, here's what healthy looks like: clean, cream-white teeth, firm pink gums, and no strong smell. Warning signs run the other way — yellow-brown tartar (especially along the gum line and on those hard-to-reach back teeth), red or swollen gums, bad breath, or a tooth that looks broken or discoloured.

It's worth knowing all this because dental disease is the most common health problem vets see in dogs — by the age of three, the majority already have some degree of it. And dogs are experts at hiding mouth pain, so it rarely announces itself; more often it shows up as tartar creeping along the gum line, or a dog that's gone a little quieter at mealtimes. Knowing what each tooth looks like when it's healthy is what lets you catch the early changes before they become painful — or expensive.

If anything looks off, our dental health checker will help you gauge how far along it is, and from there it's worth a chat with your vet. Keeping those 42 teeth healthy is mostly about routine — brushing is the gold standard, and there's plenty you can do without a brush too. And if you've noticed your dog chattering or grinding its teeth, that can be an early clue that something in the mouth needs attention.

Frequently asked questions