Normal Anatomy of the Teeth & Mouth
Race Foster, DVM
Marty Smith, DVM
Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc.
Teeth
Nutrients, or food, enter the body via the mouth. Teeth line the upper and lower jaws and are used for tearing and shredding food. Puppies have 28 teeth, while adults have 42. The exact number can vary slightly. The teeth are living tissue and are covered with enamel, the hardest substance in the dog's or cat's body. Dentine is the next layer, and the core is called the pulp. The pulp contains blood vessels and nerves which nourish the teeth. The root of the tooth is buried beneath the gum. Some teeth, such as incisors, have one root, while the others, such as the upper fourth premolars, have as many as three roots.
Salivary glands
Saliva produced by salivary glands is mixed with food in the mouth. Saliva acts as a lubricant and contains ptyalin, an enzyme which helps break down starch in the diet. The dog has four pairs of salivary glands. The parotid, mandibular, sublingual, and zygomatic all produce saliva. Each gland has its own duct to carry saliva from the gland to the mouth cavity.
Tongue and gums
The tongue of a dog is a complex organ. It is used to manipulate food about the mouth and it allows the animal to drink water. In a dog, when drinking water, the water is transported from under the tongue into the mouth. Contrast this to a feline that laps water on top of the tongue. When cats drink it is relatively silent, while a dog must repeatedly thrust its tongue into the water to gulp it up. Gulping is noisy. While gulping water, much air can be transported along with the liquid, making hiccups a common occurrence, especially in puppies. The tongue is covered with taste buds which aid in recognition of flavors. The tongue of a dog is also used for cleaning the body as well as communicating with other dogs.
The gums in dogs vary greatly in normal coloration or pigmentation. Most breeds have pink gums. However, some breeds such as Chow Chows have deep blue-black gums. In some cases, the inner cheeks as well as the tongue are also darkly colored.
