Adult Teeth (Permanent Teeth) Malocclusion

The most common permanent teeth malocclusion is where the lower canine tooth is impacting the roof of the mouth, similar to in baby tooth or deciduous malocclusions.

This is problematic because in addition to the discomfort of the tooth hitting the soft tissue, the adult canine tooth is very tall and can actually cause a hole to form between the mouth and the inside of the nasal cavity. In dogs, they are very close together in 3D space! When this happens, food, water and other debris can go from the mouth into the nose and can cause sneezing, nasal discharge, and a great deal of discomfort.

When we treat adult teeth with malocclusions, we have additional options over what we are able to do with baby teeth, which is usually just extraction. The bottom canine is a very important tooth from a functional standpoint. Canine teeth are helpful for eating, retaining the tongue in the mouth and for interacting with balls and objects, so preservation is ideal.

While extraction is possible, we have other options that are able to preserve much more function.

For some pets, we are able to extract a small, unimportant tooth on the upper jaw to make space for the bottom canine to fit, other times we will opt to shorten the bottom canine tooth but preserve it. This eliminates the trauma but preserves a great deal of the function. We are also able, in some circumstances, to perform orthodontic correction to move teeth to a normal or non-traumatic position.

Malocclusion treatment is highly individual, so the best thing is to have a consultation to discuss the specific options that are appropriate for your pet.