DENTITION AND DENTAL DISEASES 257 



Sir Geo. Brown's pamphlet, ' Dentition and Age of the Animals 

 of the Farm.' I may add that I have found this little work very 

 accurate. 



DOG. 



376. The dog, like other domestic animals, has both a temporary 

 and a permanent set of teeth, divided into incisors, canines, anterior 

 premolars, premolars, and molars. The milk teeth are twelve 

 temporary incisors (six above and six below, in front of the jaw), 

 four temporary canine teeth or tusks (two above and two below, 

 one on each side, the upper, as a rule, being the strongest), and twelve 

 temporary premolars, the three first on each side of the upper and 

 lower jaws. On the completion of the dentition there are forty-two 

 permanent teeth in all (par. 347)— viz., twelve incisors (§), four 

 canines or tusks (f), four anterior premolars (#), twelve premolars 

 (|), and ten molars (£). The premolars, sometimes called false 

 molars, are slightly separated from each other, and are cone-shaped 

 and pointed in the middle. The last temporary premolar, or the 

 fourth tooth from the tusk on the upper jaw, is the largest and 

 strongest, and is closely connected behind with the two true molars, 

 which have flat crushing crowns. The fifth tooth from the tusk, 

 or first permanent molar on the lower jaw, is the largest tooth in 

 the mouth, and a composite tooth. Anteriorly it is cone-shaped and 

 pointed, like the premolars, while the posterior part is flat and 

 crown-shaped, like a true molar. The two last teeth are true molars, 

 and have flat crushing crowns. In some cases there are seven on 

 each side of the upper jaw as well. 



377. A puppy has no teeth at birth, but their outline is seen on 

 the gums. The larger breeds of dogs generally cut their teeth 

 sooner than the smaller types, but the time within which the teeth 

 are cut and shed varies very much according to the breed. The 

 first tooth to make its appearance is usually the second premolar in 

 the lower jaw, and this occurs on or about the twentieth day after 

 birth. The other teeth— incisors, tusks, and premolars— follow in 

 quick succession, so that about the fifth week after birth all the milk 

 teeth are in view. As a rule, the lower temporary or milk teeth are 

 cut before the upper, but the reverse is the case with the permanent 



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