# Standard Poodle Pup teeth alignment question



## selenateresa (Mar 27, 2014)

Hello,

Melody Pond is only 10 weeks old but I was handling her mouth (I figure the more I handle her mouth and paws now the easier it will be for brushing and boots later) and I noticed that two of her bottom teeth must be pushing against the palate as I can see two indentations (like little dents) on the top. My breeder called to check in on her and I mentioned it as she told me to just push on them every day to get them to line up. She said that her baby teeth will fall out and her permanent teeth will come in properly. I do not think pushing on the teeth will help to be honest but I am wondering if the adults will come in properly. Have you had this happen?


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## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

Pushing won't help if it's an alignment issue with her bite but if it's because they are getting ready to come out it will help her loosen & shed them. I had a GSD puppy who had one canine that hadn't come out even though the permanent tooth was about halfway in. It was splitting the bottom of her gum (ouch) I had the vet look at it & he assured me it was normal for some dogs. He recommended wiggling & pushing on it to help with the falling out. 

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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Sometimes the deciduous teeth are stubborn about falling out. My mom's min had to have a number of baby teeth extracted because they didn't come out on their own. The teeth you are concerned about may be being pushed from below by the adult teeth and if so then wiggling them around should help them come out when ready.

BTW we still play with our dogs' feet, tails and mouths every morning, making a game of it so that they are good for grooming and medicals.


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

There is a condition called base narrow canines, I have no idea if that is what you are seeing but you may want to google it.


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## cookieface (Jul 5, 2011)

When we got Katie one of her lower canines had come in at the wrong angle (sounds like what you're describing). She was older than your pup and this was a permanent tooth. Her breeder said the same thing: press the tooth outward several times a day. She said she wasn't sure if it would help, but that it couldn't hurt. She also wrote an addendum in the contract stating that she would pay for any dental work required as a result of the misalignment.

We asked the vet and groomer about her teeth at some later date and both said they were perfect.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

What you are describing is base narrow. Very common issue in standard poodles and generally will resolve itself on its own when the adult teeth come in.


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## 2719 (Feb 8, 2011)

Here is an excerpt about ball therapy. The article talks about orange road hockey ball. But the chuckit whistle balls or ultra balls work well too.

Ball Therapy

What follows is a synopsis of a technique first published in 1999.

A REMOVABLE ORTHODONTIC DEVICE FOR THE TREATMENT OF LINGUALLY DISPLACED MANDIBULAR CANINE TEETH IN YOUNG DOGS Leen Verhaert, DVM

Summary: The malocclusion of lingually (inside) displaced canine teeth is a common orthodontic problem in the domestic dog. Several treatment methods have been described, and their advantages and disadvantages have been extensively reviewed. This article describes a functional technique used in 38 dogs of different breeds for correction of the malocclusion. The technique consists of stimulating the dog to play with specific toys. It is a simple, inexpensive, non-invasive technique that has a success rate comparable to conventional orthodontic techniques for treatment of this common malocclusion. J Vet Dent 16(2); 69-75, 1999.

Visit Home | AVDC - American Veterinary Dental College to review the various types of malocclusion. Linguoversion (base narrow mandibular canine teeth) when the jaw-length relationship is normal or when there is only a mild class II malocclusion (lower jaws too short compared to upper jaw) may sometimes be amenable to this very simple technique. It involves the use of a removable, passive force orthodontic appliance in the form of an appropriately sized rubber ball or Kong™ toy.

Many of the dogs affected by linguversion of the mandibular canine teeth are medium to large breed dogs and for them, the appropriate ‘appliance’ is a simple, smooth, road hockey ball. For smaller dogs, a handball ball or even a squash ball might be better. Do not use tennis balls as the nylon fuzz is very abrasive and can cause serious dental wear.

The concept is very simple. Have the owners encourage the dog to hold/carry the ‘appliance’ as much as possible, holding it in the mouth just behind the canine teeth. The presence of the ball will apply a gentle force on the lower canines out towards the lips and encourage these teeth to tip into proper position as they are erupting.

The best time to start this treatment is as soon as the adult canine teeth have broken through the gingiva and the primary canine teeth have exfoliated or been removed. Typically this is around 5 to 5.5 months of age. It is far easier to encourage the erupting teeth to go where we want them to be than to move teeth once they have finished erupting, so timing is important here.

Typically, puppies are seen at 8, 12 and 16 weeks for vaccines and then not again until 6 months for spay/neuter and so the best window of opportunity may be missed with this schedule. I always recommend that puppies also be examined at 5 months of age for a dental development evaluation. If, at this visit, there is concern that the mandibular canines are erupting base-narrow, a few weeks of ball therapy may just help the problem resolve without any further intervention.

I see no down-side to trying Ball Therapy in the right circumstances. There is no anesthetic involved, the appliance cost only a few dollars, the ‘procedure’ is painless and voluntary. So even if Ball Therapy does not work, at least it will have done no harm.


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## Jennifer/jane (Mar 23, 2014)

I just have to ask if you have a River Song pup as well?


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## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

It sounds like your puppy is base narrow. In most cases it will self correct when the adult teeth come in. I was told to get a small tennis ball that just fits inside the teeth and get the puppy to play with it, hold it and even chew on it a bit every day if possible. (my kids are not ball crazy) Both of my older dogs were base narrow and both did self correct but in a small number of cases you will need to intervene. If she already has some dents in her upper palette then keep an eye on her mouth to make sure she doesn't develop actual holes that can get infected. The pushing thing is I think more for the owners then the dogs but yes on my boy I did do the pushing routine as the adult teeth were coming in.


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## SilverSpoo (Jan 15, 2014)

My dogs baby teeth (lower canines) had to be removed. (as well as one adult tooth that was damaged by the canine.) They were affecting the entire jaw growth and development. It is something to watch very closely. I didn't know that this was a problem in poodles and something I should be watching for (WHY is it not more openly talked about!!) and so by the time I noticed it was almost too late. Luckily we were able to pull the teeth out just in time to salvage her bite (mostly).


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## selenateresa (Mar 27, 2014)

Jennifer/jane said:


> I just have to ask if you have a River Song pup as well?
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I named my puppy Melody Pond. Did you name yours River Song?!?


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## selenateresa (Mar 27, 2014)

Thanks everyone who took the time to look and respond. I think that base narrow is the right name to this issue and I have 4 tennis balls on the go right now to help. Her appt for 2nd shots is next Monday so we shall see what the Vet says. Thanks again!


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## Jennifer/jane (Mar 23, 2014)

selenateresa said:


> I named my puppy Melody Pond. Did you name yours River Song?!?


I don't but I love the idea my spoo will be Princess Buttercup when she comes.


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## selenateresa (Mar 27, 2014)

Jennifer/jane said:


> I don't but I love the idea my spoo will be Princess Buttercup when she comes.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


As you wish


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