Another Overbite Question?

[Sak2]

I was reading some posts about Overbites/Underbites, and was trying to make sense of this.
If your puppy has an Underbite it won't correct vs. it having an Overbite where it MAY correct.
What age is the cut off point where and Overbite in a puppy WILL NOT correct?
How serious does an overbite have to be to require surgery? the canine teeth to be cut off? and after these COULD the bite correct?
I saw a pup this past weekend(12-13 weeks) and she had an Overbite(not sure on the size of it) but the bottom incisors were just after that bump that is at the top of the mouth.
IS that going to correct? I also did notice that these front teeth made a slight indent in the roof of the mouth.
How/When would you determine and overbite vs. an undeveloped bottom jaw?
Thanks

[Sharon Marples]

What age is the cut off point where and Overbite in a puppy WILL NOT correct?

I would normally expect the bite to close by 12 months of age. Of course, it all depends on how severe the overbite is.

How serious does an overbite have to be to require surgery? the canine teeth to be cut off? and after these COULD the bite correct?

We only cut the tips of the lower canines off if they are infringing into the roof of the mouth. We have done this and had a high success rate of the bite correcting. Again, of course, it all depends on how severe the overbite is.

I saw a pup this past weekend(12-13 weeks) and she had an Overbite(not sure on the size of it) but the bottom incisors were just after that bump that is at the top of the mouth. IS that going to correct? I also did notice that these front teeth made a slight indent in the roof of the mouth.

Hard to tell. Were the lower teeth 1/4 of an inch behind the top teeth? Or more? If a bite is more than 1/4 of an inch, there may be a problem with it correcting. And if they don't take the tips of the canines off or remove them totally, it may never correct if they are stuck in the roof of the mouth. It will also cause a lot of discomfort for the pup.

How/When would you determine and overbite vs. an undeveloped bottom jaw?

The overbite will normally show up as soon as the puppy teeth come in. If there is just a slight overbite, we like that because it allows more room for the lower jaw to grow more and then you end up with a nice scissor bite. I don't like to see a real tight bite on a puppy because those, in many instances, will go under as the lower jaw develops.

We have had normal bites go off as old as 6 - 12 months of age on a puppy as the lower jaw kept growing. It's all a crapshoot in many instances. You also need to look at the length of the muzzle, the instance of overbites or underbites in the pedigree and if this same sire and dam have produced any bite problems in their past litters if there are any.

Hope this helps a bit. There are no hard and firm set rules on how a bite is going to develop in a puppy.

[jenbabe77]

Just a little story with a positive ending to help ease your mind….When I got my puppy at 8 weeks old, I took her straight to the vet for an exam to make sure she was healthy. The vet told me she had a pretty severe overbite. I was devastated. She had the little divots where her canines were poking into the roof of her mouth. The vet told me it would not affect her quality of life, but she may have some difficulties throughout life that we will have to address when the time comes such as surgery to remove the canines or filing them down. She explained that with the severity of her overbite there was about a 3% chance it would correct itself. I read everything there was to read about overshot jaws. Most of the stuff I read had negative outcomes. I was so upset with the years of difficulty to come, but we were willing to do whatever necessary for her. I was so angry at the breeder. The breeder offered me a different puppy, but I just couldn’t give up my little girl. She had already become a part of our family in that five days. Long story short… I know it doesn’t happen all of the time, but my little girl is nine months old now and has the most perfect little mouth. At around 7 months old her bite had corrected itself.

[pjohnson1969]

Originally Posted by jenbabe77

Just a little story with a positive ending to help ease your mind….When I got my puppy at 8 weeks old, I took her straight to the vet for an exam to make sure she was healthy. The vet told me she had a pretty severe overbite. I was devastated. She had the little divots where her canines were poking into the roof of her mouth. The vet told me it would not affect her quality of life, but she may have some difficulties throughout life that we will have to address when the time comes such as surgery to remove the canines or filing them down. She explained that with the severity of her overbite there was about a 3% chance it would correct itself. I read everything there was to read about overshot jaws. Most of the stuff I read had negative outcomes. I was so upset with the years of difficulty to come, but we were willing to do whatever necessary for her. I was so angry at the breeder. The breeder offered me a different puppy, but I just couldn’t give up my little girl. She had already become a part of our family in that five days. Long story short… I know it doesn’t happen all of the time, but my little girl is nine months old now and has the most perfect little mouth. At around 7 months old her bite had corrected itself.

You are the first person i have seen who had a happy ending to this story.

Only ones i have ever heard say the bite would correct is breeders trying to sell the dog.

Your the first one i have ever heard of as a customer who had a happy ending.

We had to have the canines ground on a dog here it punctured the roof of his mouth. The dog food then infected it. He is comfortable now. But it has left scar tissue on the roof. and messed up the pigmentation. and he has knots where the infection was.

I am glad your had a happy ending

[frontierrots]

In 22 years in the breed I have seen oh maybe 90% of the overbites I have seen as pups (both my own and others breedings) correct. IN THIS BREED. My own Molly had a 1/2" overbite at 7 weeks and a tight scissor as an adult. She was V rated. In Shiba Inu an overbite as a pup is permanant

Now underbites in pups never fix

Also in Rottweilers is a condition as base narrow where the bottom jaw is a bit narrow and the canines of the lower jaw poke into the upper and also inhibit jaw movement with growth. The lower canines are snipped and sealed at the gum and when the adult teeth come in this fixes. A member of this board had a pup with this and now she is fine

[Ann Felske-Jackman]

I think it depends on the breeder knowing how their lines mature. I've had two overbites (L an V litters), neither of which corrected. Then again, our bites never seem to change at all as our dogs mature...ie. they don't tend to go level or undershot later and are still a deep scissors into old age.

Other breeders I know prefer a slight (note the word slight) overbite in a puppy, as their lines need some "wiggle room" as they mature.

[pjohnson1969]

Originally Posted by Ann Felske-Jackman

I think it depends on the breeder knowing how their lines mature. I've had two overbites (L an V litters), neither of which corrected. Then again, our bites never seem to change at all as our dogs mature...ie. they don't tend to go level or undershot later and are still a deep scissors into old age.

Other breeders I know prefer a slight (note the word slight) overbite in a puppy, as their lines need some "wiggle room" as they mature.

Ann you are the first breeder i have ever heard say you had some that didnt correct. Kudos to you and your honesty

[Ann Felske-Jackman]

Every breeder has undesirable traits pop up here and there, especially when it comes to bites. It's no big scandal, just a normal course of nature. When we encounter these traits, it's our job to try to figure out how not to reproduce it in subsequent generations. Being untruthful does not help achieve that goal.

[Sak2]

Thanks everyone for you responses !!!

I just saw her again recently and her overbite in now a "loose scissor bite"(not my term) where there is still a little gap between the top and bottom incisors, but the canines are in the right position.

She is 5 months old now and we were wondering if still will correct to a proper showable bite?

Her adult canines are coming in and the bottom teeth just reach the inside root of the top teeth(still touches the top palate).

We would greatly appreciate any more inspiring info, hopefully we will be able to get a photo on the site so you can better understand.
Thanks

[RottsNScotts]

I know personally of a pup that had a rather severe overbite that corrected completely by the time it was 9 months of age. The tragedy was its breeder did not believe me when I researched the question with many very experienced people I know and advised that it was likely to correct. The pup was sold to a pet home, neutered at 6 months or so and has grown up, according to its breeder, to be the most incredibly gorgeous dog she has ever seen! The breeder will be kicking themselves for having NO patience for some time to come! (I try REAL HARD to never say, "Told you!"!! Really don't have to mention it anyway!)

[frontierrots]

loose scissor bites can and are shown as are tight scissor bites and even level bites. Whether or not the dog wins with these bites depends on what the rest of the dog is like, just like dogs with pink mouths or pink mouth corners or rounder eyes. Winning is about the whole dog not just a piece