Have you checked your pet’s teeth and noticed that some of their pearly whites aren’t very white? What could it mean? Here are four common reasons for discoloured teeth in dogs and cats:

1. Dental disease
If teeth are not cleaned regularly, they will develop a film of whitish-yellow plaque (containing bacteria), which will then gradually harden to a brown calculus shell. Calculus is usually associated with periodontal disease (inflammation and infection around the tooth roots).

Pets with gum inflammation or calculus should have a dental clean performed promptly to help prevent permanent tooth damage and discomfort.

2. Teething
Puppies and kittens around four-to-six months old will lose their baby teeth to create space for larger, emerging adult teeth.

During this period, it’s normal for their baby teeth to develop a pinkish appearance just prior to falling out.

3. Tooth trauma
Hard knocks to a pet’s tooth can cause damage to the soft inner tooth centre (which is known as pulp), resulting in discolouration. Initially the tooth may turn pink due to pulp bleeding and swelling, and then it may actually take on a bluish tinge.

If the damage was severe, the pulp may eventually die. Unfortunately, this dead centre within the tooth is then at high risk of becoming infected, which can cause a brown discolouration to the tooth.

Depending on the severity of damage, damaged teeth may require either extraction or specialist endodontic treatment (e.g. root canal therapy).

4. Resorptive lesions
Cats are commonly affected by painful resorptive lesions, which are similar to cavities in people but due to an unknown cause.

Teeth affected with resorptive lesions will appear to have a pink or red spot on them (often just above the gumline), and require extraction.

Tooth discolouration is often a sign that your pet requires dental treatment. If your pet has any abnormal-looking teeth, book a consultation for further assessment with one of our tooth-trustworthy vets!