Anatomy of a Dog's Mouth and Mouthcare

Anatomy Of Dog Mouth 

All dogs regardless of size have 42 teeth. Most of the teeth in your dog’s mouth are for tearing flesh and bone, with just a few teeth that crush food before they swallow it. Dogs’ teeth are not as sharp as cats’ teeth, but their teeth and jaws are much stronger. Their dental anatomy enables them to grab and kill prey that may be much larger than themselves.
The dog uses his smaller more fragile front teeth for grooming. He also uses them when scraping tissue from the surface of bones — in the same way he might engage in stripping the “fuzz” off of tennis balls. Some dogs do this so persistently that they wear down their incisors.
Adult dogs have six incisors (front teeth) on the top jaw and six on the bottom; two canine teeth (the “fangs”) on the top and two on the bottom; eight premolars on the top and eight on the bottom; and two molars on the top and three molars on the bottom.
Many of us might imagine that dogs chew their kibble in the same way we chew a potato chip. In fact, dog premolars and molars do not actually grind. Grinding requires that an animal’s jaws move sideways; like a cow or camel might grind its food — with extreme sideways jaw action. Dog jaws can’t move sideways! The premolars and molars are used to crush large chunks into smaller ones. As much as dogs can be said to chew, most of the chewing is provided by the premolars.The molars located at the far back of the mouth, where the dog has the most jaw strength, are mostly used for extreme crunching.
Dogs with the most dental related problems are often small breeds. Routine home maintenance can help keep your dog’s mouth healthy despite size, age or pedigree.
For the complete article go to:  https://atobiko.com/natural-dog-care/natural-dog-mouth-care/
Includes brushing and other topics!