Puppy Teething: When It Stops, and What Helps Each Month

Most puppies stop teething by about six to seven months, when the last of their 42 adult teeth is in. The swap from baby teeth starts at roughly three to four months, so the hard stretch is about three months long. The chewing outlasts the teeth: VCA Animal Hospitals says excessive chewing tends to ease at around 18 months. Teething belongs to the puppy stage; the timeline below says what to do at each point.

The numbers: 28 baby teeth, 42 adult teeth, and no baby molars. Sources: the Merck Veterinary Manual and VCA.

The teething timeline, and your job at each age

The tooth ages come from the Merck Veterinary Manual's eruption table, which marks them as averages subject to considerable variation. The symptoms and the weekly check come from VCA's pages on teething and persistent baby teeth.

Which teeth come in when

Merck's table by tooth type shows why the front of the mouth settles first:

Why sources differ by a few weeks: VCA's teething page starts the swap at around 12 weeks and finishes it by six months; its persistent-teeth page says three and a half to four months, done by six to seven; Merck says four to five months, done by seven. Plan for a start between 12 and 16 weeks and a finish by seven months.

The weekly check: two teeth in one spot

The teething problem an owner can catch is a persistent, or retained, baby tooth. VCA defines it as a baby tooth still present when the adult tooth erupts, so the adult tooth is forced to come in at the wrong angle.

• Where to look: the upper canines most often, then the lower canines, then the incisors.
• Who gets them: they are more common in small breeds and in short-nosed breeds such as bulldogs, pugs, Boston terriers and boxers.
• Why it matters: food and plaque pack into the crowded gap, which leads to gum disease. A retained lower baby canine can push the adult canine inward until it presses into the roof of the mouth.
• How often: VCA advises checking your puppy's mouth every week until about seven to eight months.

See your vet: if you see two teeth where there should be one, a lower canine pointing at the roof of the mouth, bleeding beyond a faint pink stain on a toy, or a puppy who stops eating. VCA calls a little blood while teeth are falling out normal, and a tender mouth can dull the appetite, but refusing food is a reason to call.

Timing matters. VCA's persistent-teeth page says these teeth usually need prompt extraction under general anaesthesia and, in most cases, should not wait for the spay or neuter appointment, because early removal usually lets the adult teeth move into place. Left too long, the fix can mean orthodontics. (VCA's general teething page says removal is often done at the spay or neuter visit; follow the more specific page.)

A weekly look at the canines is the whole check: one tooth per spot.

What a teething puppy should chew

The simplest rule comes from Graham Thatcher, then a veterinary dentist at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine: if you can bend or flex it, it is less likely to fracture a tooth, and if it is too hard for you to chew, your dog should not chew it either. VCA adds that most veterinary dentists advise against anything hard for puppies and adult dogs alike.

Give:

• Rubber you can bend with your hands, like the KONG Goodie Bone, a medium size with a stuffable pocket at each end.
• Stuffing-free plush, like the ZippyPaws Skinny Peltz 3-Pack, light enough for a small puppy to carry.
• A soft comfort toy for the crate, like the Multipet Lamb Chop, which is rated for gentle chewers only.
• For a big-breed puppy, the KONG Classic Stuffable; the listing we link is the large size, so size down for a smaller dog.

Skip:

• Bones, antlers and bully sticks, which the Wisconsin dentist says commonly fracture teeth.
• Nylon chews, cow hooves and ice cubes, all on VCA's list of things that can damage teeth.
• Anything that will not bend. If you chill a rubber toy, flex it before you hand it over; frozen solid fails the test.

VCA's other rule covers every toy here: supervise, because no toy is completely safe. The teething and chew toys shelf has the full set.

Teething or ordinary mouthing?

Usually both. VCA describes chewing as how puppies explore, strongest in mouthy breeds such as retrievers, and says it seems to ease teething discomfort. Signs that point to the teeth: drool, puppy breath, pink-tinged toys and a mouth that seems sore at meals.

The response is the same either way:

1. Don't reward the bite. VCA suggests a high-pitched yelp, pulling your hand away and going to play elsewhere.
2. Stop rough hand games, including with children. They teach that hands are toys.
3. Keep a few toys out and rotate them so the legal options stay interesting.
4. Feed from a puzzle toy some days instead of a bowl.
5. Clear the floor of shoes, clothes and children's toys, room by room, with the puppy-proofing guide.

VCA admits there is no consensus on the best method, so ask your vet if one isn't working. Mouthing overlaps the socialization window; chewing after seven months is covered in adolescent regression and the heavy chewer toys guide.

Start the toothbrush while the teeth change

VCA recommends getting a puppy used to something in its mouth besides food, and warns that human toothpaste can make dogs sick. The Wisconsin dentist's sequence suits a sore mouth:

• Short sessions of gum massage with a finger first, then a soft-bristled brush.
• A pet toothpaste without added fluoride, since pets swallow some of it.
• Keep it painless and end with a reward.

A kit with a finger brush, such as the Virbac C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Kit, covers the first step. Teething runs alongside the puppy sleep schedule and crate training; the dog age calculator confirms your puppy's stage.