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ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by phil

Our "mochi" is just about 6 months old, and has most of his permanent teeth in. A few of his baby teeth were loose and fell out early on, but he still has 3 upper front and 3 lower bottom baby teeth. the lower ones feel a little loose. How long should we wait for the teeth to fall out on their own? thanks,phil michele & mochi

DISCUSSION:

Phil,Your best bet is to check with your vet. If any of these baby teeth are his canine teeth, and they are not the least bit loose, your vet may want to remove them. It all depends on whether they will cause a problem later on. Sometimes the little front teeth loosen up as your puppy chews on toys or plays tug of war. Hope this helps.
-loraine

It is not uncommon in the Maltese breed to have retained puppy teeth. If any of the teeth are canine teeth that are not loosening at all they may have to be removed by your vet. If you are going to have Mochi neutered this can be done at the same time. Doing the removal of retained teeth and altering together will eliminate the need to have Mochi put to sleep more than once saving stress on the pup and expense.
-Cherie

"Pentium" is 7 months old and just lost the last of his baby teeth. I suspect that like humans, the amount of time it takes will vary from puppy to puppy. If it seems like it is taking an exceptional amount of time, consult your vet.
-Chuck

When Sassie's "adult" teeth came in, her top front teeth just moved up her gum and out of the way. When she was spayed last week the vet pulled the baby teeth. They were not loose so they did not appear to be close to falling out on their own.
-ChrisL

Phil: Our maltese, Abby had the same problem when she was about 6 months old. 2 of her puppy canine teeth refused to fall out. In addition, her permanent canines started coming out around her puppy canines. We didn't want to wait any longer after that (lest it might affect her teeth alignment/symmetry). We took her to the vet and had them pulled out. Also make sure your puppy has chew toys. Chewing on them sometimes loosen their puppy teeth. Good luck !
-Rebecca