Adult Dog Dentition
Adult Dog = 42 Permanent Teeth
Let's compare that to dogs now.
Adult dogs have more total teeth than cats at 42. Again, the dog dentition fits a general carnivore pattern. Each jaw has three pairs of incisors and one pair of elongated canines which interlock. Compared to the cat, the dog has more premolars and more molars. Each jaw contains four pairs of premolars, and there are two pairs of molars on the top and three pairs on the bottom. Since premolars and molars function to crush and grind, their greater number here reflects the fact that the dog has a more omnivorous diet than the cat and needs to crush and grind fibrous food in addition to tearing meat. Note also that the dog has a pair of carnassial teeth formed by the last premolar on top and the first molar on the bottom jaw.