# Uncommon tooth issue in puppy



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I produced a puppy who had this - actually think it was the same tooth- she went to a canine dentist in Birmingham AL and he said there was no reason to do anything. The practitioner vet that made the referral also suggested pulling it. They did not, since the specialist said no need. I thought I had a photo of it but it may have gone the way of the 'cloud full' purge... here's her pedigree: Pedigree: Prism's IRish You'd Get to Know Me


----------



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I know that Nomie's dentist did an X-ray to determine if it were two fused teeth or one tooth that developed wrong-in her case, it was one tooth- here is an article's discussion on how to determine that yourself by counting the fused tooth as one tooth, but no matter what the cause, whether you remove the tooth or just pay attention to it as her life goes on (which ought to be done anyway with all teeth!) it's just a freak thing!


Dental anomalies of forms can occur in the deciduous and permanent dentitions. Various terms have been used to describe dental twinning anomalies. “Double teeth”, “double formations”, “joined teeth”, “fused teeth”, “synodontia”, “schizodontia”, “concrescence”, and “dental twinning” are often used to describe fusion or gemination.[11]

In spite of a considerable number of cases reported in the literature, it is difficult to establish a differential diagnosis between fused teeth and bigeminal teeth, particularly when they are associated with supernumerary teeth. To help distinguish between fusion and gemination, it has been suggested that the teeth in the arch be counted with the anomalous crown counted as one. A full complement of teeth indicates gemination, while one tooth less than normal indicates fusion.[12] In cases of gemination there may be a single crown with an appearance of two coronal halves. Fusion appears to have an angled, crooked appearance. Fused teeth can have a double pulp space that may or may not communicate, although a single pulp space is also possible. Gemination typically only has a single large pulp.[9] Proper case history, clinical and radiographic examinations can update the information required for the diagnosis of such abnormalities.

The case presented could be considered as showing typical clinical characteristics of fusion between the right canine and lateral incisor because there were less number of teeth in the lower arch. The clinical and radiographic examination reveals one pulp chamber and single root canal.

The aesthetic restoration of double teeth depends upon the patient's wish. Unless there are increased risks to periodontal health, caries, or occlusion, treatment is elective for aesthetic reason.[9] Treatment objectives should aim to preserve pulpal vitality, meet esthetic and occlusal requirements, and prevent caries. In the dental literature, various treatment considerations have been recommended to achieve ideal esthetics and occlusion and they usually require a multidisciplinary approach including sectioning and extracting the supernumerary tooth,[13] restoring the crown shape,[14] or prosthetic treatment after extraction of the fused tooth.[13,15] Moreover, separation and extraction of the anomalous tooth with orthodontic closing of the space and reshaping of the teeth is also considered. As aesthetics were not impaired in this case, the dental treatment involved only measures intending to prevent plaque build-up in the risk areas along with topical fluoride application and regular follow-up of patient.


----------



## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

I am in the same mind set as Prism. If you don't need to pull it (after being examined by a doggie-dentist) then I wouldn't. Many times pulling a tooth causes more problems then it solves. If it were my dog, I would definitely check with a doggie-dentist to confirm. Good luck!


----------



## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

She actually has two EXTRA teeth. Dogs should have six upper and six lower incisors. She has 8 on the top, including the fused "teeth."
I also would be hesitant to have them removed unless they are actively causing a problem.


----------



## Goldens Rock (Apr 11, 2013)

Thank you all for your replies. It is a relief that you all feel that the tooth/teeth shouldn't be pulled. Fortunately I have some time to seek out a doggy dentist since I won't be getting her spayed for quite a while. The brief search I did shows the closest one is about 4 hours away from me near a vet school that I took our last golden to several times. I think I will call the vet school and see if they recommend this place. I'ts also fairly close to my breeder so maybe she is familiar with them also.


Prism Goldens---What a beautiful dog Nomie is! Her great grandpa on her mom's side (Bret) was our last golden girl's grandpa. We lost her last year at 12 years old. I still miss her like crazy. Thank you so much for your help and the article. I'm wondering if you also noticed that this tooth is actually an EXTRA one and if not, if you would still recommend keeping it. 

Our3dogs----Thank you for your reply. I will be looking into visiting a doggy dentist! 

K9-Design---Thank you for pointing out the number of teeth she has vs what she is supposed to have. I assumed it was supposed to be eight since she only had seven if you count the abnormal one as one. I wonder if this will cause problems with her bite once all her adult teeth are in. Something to ask the dentist for sure.


----------



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I put the pedigree link up just in case you spied some super interesting commonality. It always bothered me that such a promising puppy had a fault for the show ring. 
If your girl were mine, I would take her for a dental of course and no matter how many teeth she has in excess (and I did notice) if her bite were correct and the enamel on the doublet is not missing at the cleft I would keep the teeth. If it throws her bite off and you notice her upper canines are not sitting where they should in bite w the lowers, risking chipping enamel on back , I would remove extras. All that'll be months away- but I would have a dentist remove any I was removing, not the practitioner.


----------



## Dr Jen (Aug 20, 2017)

Hello- I know this is an old thread. I am hoping to use your image to show others. I have seen many of these but many pets don't like to sit still for taking picture. The double or twin tooth is a gemination tooth and is usually of no issue and should just be evaluated with intraoral radiographs (xrays) with annual anesthetic dental procedures. The fact that there is an extra tooth on the other side (suspect a retained baby tooth) is causing crowding which leads to periodontal disease and damage to other teeth. Sometimes other changes lie below the gumline when we see retained baby teeth as well. If there are still 4 incisors on the upper right, your puppy needs intraoral radiographs very soon. If only the gemination tooth is the only issue still present, it can be checked in young adulthood with intraoral radiographs but likely no action will need to be taken. If further questions (and you will grant me image permission) email me at consultattoothdotvet.


----------



## emmaschmidt (May 25, 2021)

Hi there! I came across this thread researching to see if this “double infused tooth” is common or not. My puppy has the same thing! What did you end up doing with the tooth, and has it caused any problems for your dog? My vet also said they’d just asses the tooth when he gets neutered. Any advice is appreciated, thank you!


----------



## emmaschmidt (May 25, 2021)




----------



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

See post #3-- this isn't common but it does happen. Your pup is missing incisors. DK on bottom, count those.


----------



## emmaschmidt (May 25, 2021)

Yes I did see it is uncommon - was just curious how the owner’s (Goldens Rock) circumstance ended up working out and if their dog has had any problems presented because of it. Hopefully there is no need to pull it and can just be a special feature of our puppy.


----------



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Because there are two missing incisors, I doubt the canines will cause an issue but take a photo from side w lips open.


----------

