overshot jaw puppy quotation

This condition is most often spotted at either the first or second puppy checks or between 6 and 8 months of age as the permanent (adult) teeth erupt. Either the deciduous or permanent lower canines occlude into the soft tissues of the roof or the mouth causing severe discomfort and, possibly, oral nasal fistulae.

Secondly, the growth of the mandible is rostral from the junction of the vertical and horizontal ramus. If the lower canines are embedded in pits in the hard palate, the normal rostral growth of the mandible(s) cannot take place normally due to the dental interlock caused by the lower canines being embedded in hard palate pits. This can cause deviation of the skull laterally or ventral bowing of the mandibles (lower jaws).

Thirdly, the permanent lower canine is located lingual to the deciduous canine. This means that if the deciduous lower canines are in a poor position it is a certainty the permanent teeth will be worse. See the radiograph below. The deciduous canines are on the outside of the jaws and the developing permanent canines are seen in the jaw as small "hats". It is clear that the eruption path of the permanent canines will be directly dorsal and not buccally inclined as is normal.

The permanent successor tooth is located lingual to the deciduous tooth and wholly within the jaw at this stage. Any use of luxators or elevators on the lingual half of the deciduous tooth will cause permanent damage to the developing enamel of the permanent tooth. See the images below showing canines (and also the third incisor) with extensive damage to the enamel. The radiograph also shows how much damage can occur to the teeth - see the top canine and adjacent incisor. Some severely damaged teeth need to be extracted while other can be repaired with a bonded composite. This damage is avoidable with careful technique using an open surgical approach.

Do not try ball therapy with deciduous (puppy) teeth. There are two main reasons for this. Puppy teeth are fragile and can easily break. More importantly, the adult canine tooth bud is developing in the jaw medial to the deciduous canine tooth (see radiograph above in the puppy section). If the deciduous crown tips outwards the root will tip inwards. This will push the permanent tooth bud further medial than it already is.

The intention of the procedure is to keep the pulp alive and allow the shortened lower canines to develop normally and contribute to the strength of the lower jaws.

The advantage of this procedure is that the whole of the root and the majority of the crown remain. The strength and integrity of the lower jaw is not weakened by the procedure and long term results are very good due to the use of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate as a direct pulp dressing.

However, many owners are concerned (rightly) about the loss of the tooth and the weakness it may cause to the lower jaw(s). It is not our preferred option. This is not an easy surgical extraction and the resulting loss of the root causes a weakness in the lower jaws. This is compounded if both lower canines are removed.

Normally a composite resin bite plane is bonded onto the upper teeth (see below) with an incline cut into the sides. The lower canine makes contact with the incline when the mouth closes and, over time, the force tips the tooth buccally. This takes around four to eight weeks. The lower canine will often migrate back into a lingually displaced position when the bite plane is removed. This can occur if the tooth height of the lower canine is too short (stunted). If the lower canine is not self-retained by the upper jaw when the mouth is shut further surgery may be required.

Here is a visual look into what an “undershot” and “overshot” jaw looks like. In recent years, I’ve noticed more and more dogs with this issue. Can a dog live productive life with a malocclusion: (imperfect positioning of the teeth when a jaws closed) Yes but with some issues along the way.

Let’s begin with a puppy will have 28 “puppy teeth” by the time it reaches six months old (this number can vary from breed to breed) By adulthood, most breeds will have a total of 42 teeth. As defined above a malocclusion or simply a misalignment of a dog’s teeth occurs when their bite does not fit accordingly beginning as puppy’s teeth come in and worsening as their adult teeth follow.

the upper jaw is longer than the lower one, an overshot or overbite. When a dogs mouth is closed, a gap between the upper and lower incisors (teeth) will be present. In most cases, puppies are born with a slight over/under bite and with time the problem can correct itself if the gap is not too large. What should be noted is if a dog’s bite remains over/undershot by 8-10 months old, that’s how it will remain for the remainder of its life. In overbite’s the structure may worsen as the permanent teeth come in as they are larger and can damage the soft parts of the mouth. Teeth extractions are sometimes necessary.

Structural dentition of a puppies jaw should be checked very early on to help eliminate this issue. Unfortunately most dog owners won’t notice until is late in the game. More so is the issues of backyard and/or inexplicable breeders breeding dogs with undershot/overshot jaws and potentially passing along this trait to future generations.

With an overbite, the upper jaw is longer than the lower one. When the mouth is closed, a gap between the upper and lower incisors occurs. Puppies born with an overbite will sometimes have the problem correct itself if the gap is not too large. However, a dog"s bite will usually set at ten months old. At this time improvement will not happen on its own. Your pet"s overbite may worsen as the permanent teeth come in because they are larger and can damage the soft parts of the mouth. Teeth extractions are sometimes necessary.

Problems that can arise from malocclusion are; difficulty chewing, picking up food and other objects, dogs with overshot jaws tend to pick up larger chunks of food since they can"t chew nor pick up smaller morsels which can lead to choking and future intestinal issues. These dogs are also prone to tartar and plaque build up which if left untreated can lead to other significant health issues such as heart problems. Other issues are listed below:

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One of the most disappointing things that can happen to a dog breeder is to have what appears to be an almost perfect specimen born and raised, only in the last few months of growth to have it become ‘undershot’. There are puppies born which develop this misfit jaw characteristic in their first few weeks of growth, others which develop it at three or four months and others not until after five months. And it is not necessarily those which are most seriously affected which show it early. One of the worst examples of this protruding lower jaw I have seen was in a cocker Spaniel which up until teething time had a perfect fitting set of teeth; the lower incisors fit right behind the upper, when the mouth was closed. When she was seven months old her lower incisors protruded three-quarters of an inch.

Is this character inherited? Most certainly yes, but in what strange manner, no one has yet been able to say with certainty. And there is the opposite character in which the lower jaw is too short for the upper, known as ‘overshot’. There is as yet no definite measurement for us to say whether the trouble lies in the mandible being too short or the upper jaw has grown too far forward.

Undershot Cocker Spaniels, in a closely bred strain, throws some light on the problem. Among my Cocker Spaniels there is not an undershot puppy or adult in the kennels. But every year a goodly number of undershot puppies appear. Therefore, one might reason that the character is recessive. But let us see. In the first place when they do appear, they do not necessarily appear in a twenty-five percent ratio. A very wonderful bitch named Charm, whose mouth was perfect, was mated to a dog name Red Brucie, whose mouth was also perfect. They produced four puppies every one of which was badly undershot, and one with a perfect mouth. Her name was Kathlyn. Kathlyn was bred to Champ, a son of Roderic. In all the puppies of Roderic, I have not had an undershot puppy, and he was bred to many bitches. But when Champ was mated to Kathryn on many occasions, there were always one or two undershot puppies. But their puppies were so fine that it paid to mate these dogs and destroy the undershot puppies. They had seven litters of which ten puppies were undershot. So here it would seem that the trait was recessive. But let us look further. Some undershot puppies have appeared from other parents. I mated a pair of these, which were not badly deformed and, of five puppies in a litter, not one was undershot. If undershot is a recessive, then all of these puppies should have been undershot.

An interesting study in a strain of long-haired Dachshunds was made by Gruenberg and Lea. Their dogs were so badly overshot that the canine teeth of the under jaw (mandible) occluded behind the upper teeth, instead of in front of them. The tooth size was reduced by the factor and the lower jaw appears to be shortened, and the upper jaw lengthened. This is seen in many breeds. I know a strain of Borzoi which was so badly affected that some of the puppies could not eat out of a pan normally. Gruenberg and Lea found, upon conducting some matings that this trait was inherited as a simple recessive.

The lower jaw or mandible sometimes is much too short. Phillips found this condition to be a recessive, with modifying factors, so that when the maximum expression of these factors occurs the jaw is so short as to cause the death of the dog.