Adult dogs have 42 permanent teeth in total, with 20 teeth in the upper jaw and 22 teeth in the lower jaw

. Puppies, on the other hand, have 28 deciduous (puppy or milk) teeth that start to appear around 3 to 4 weeks of age and are usually all present by 3 to 5 months

. The types of teeth in an adult dog's mouth include:

• 12 incisors (6 upper, 6 lower) used for tearing meat and grooming,
• 4 canines (2 upper, 2 lower) used for puncturing and holding,
• 16 premolars (8 upper, 8 lower) used for shearing,
• 10 molars (4 upper, 6 lower) used for grinding and chewing

Dogs lose their puppy teeth between about 3 to 7 months of age as their adult teeth erupt