Fun Teeth Facts of Different Animals, Including Slugs!

Most dental professionals, if not all, find themselves gravitating towards any and all things dental. It’s second nature, and we cannot mask it. Whether it’s tooth-adorned apparel, custom dental license plates, or just merely seeing teeth when we look at random objects. Teeth are a major part of our lives in and out of our careers.

What if we discussed the subject in a different context? Aren’t you just the least bit curious about animal teeth? Take a break from the serious side of our career and take a journey with me down a path exploring the creatures living among us.

As a previous dog owner, I found myself engrossed and extremely curious about my pooch’s teeth. I purchased a brush and dog-friendly paste when he was just a pup so that I could keep his “chompers” clean. More often than not, I found myself counting his teeth and studying his mouth with intensity.

If I am being completely honest, that close scrutiny is something I find myself doing when I am around any animal. In fact, during a dolphin encounter, I asked the trainer about the teeth of the dolphin in front of me and asked her to instruct the dolphin to open wide so I could gaze a little longer (she obliged).

Just in case you have found yourself doing the same and wondering about the creatures that help make the world go around, here are some fun facts that you can chew on.

Dogs

Most have taken a long look at friendly canine mouths, but perhaps you aren’t fond of this type of animal (gasp!). Dogs have two sets of teeth, much like humans with the exception of quite a few more. By six to eight weeks of age, 28 deciduous teeth erupt. By the time puppies are six to seven months old, deciduous teeth are exfoliated and replaced by 42 adult teeth. The teething process mimics human babies and can be difficult for puppies, creating mouth discomfort, decreased appetite, and diarrhea.¹

The permanent dentition consists of canines (for which the dog family is named), incisors, premolars, and molars. Their incisors are used to nip, the canines are used to tear and shred, and the premolars and molars are used for crushing and shearing. Dogs rarely chew, and most of their food is swallowed in one large gulp, where enzymes later digest it.¹

Dogs’ teeth are made just like humans with pulp, dentin, and enamel. However, they rarely get dental decay. Their oral microbiome composition differs from that of humans, and they do not eat a sugar-enriched diet (or shouldn’t) like humans.²

If dogs do develop tooth decay, it is often from foods such as bananas and sweet potatoes. Our canine friends can develop periodontal disease, and thus, it is important to maintain their oral hygiene.²

Cats

For those of you who are not dog-loving people, perhaps you are fond of the feline family. At three weeks of age, a kitten’s deciduous teeth begin erupting. The eruption of 26 deciduous teeth is normally finished by six to eight weeks. By the time the average kitten reaches six to seven months, all 30 adult teeth will have erupted. Like human babies and puppies, teething can be uncomfortable and may cause drooling and reluctance to eat.³

Strangely similar to humans, cats’ deciduous teeth may become retained if a permanent tooth erupts in the wrong place, termed a persistent tooth. The most common persistent teeth are maxillary canines, followed by mandibular canines and incisors. Sometimes, a premolar may be retained.³  

If a permanent tooth erupts while the deciduous tooth remains persistent, food impaction can result, thus contributing to dental decay and periodontal disease. In some circumstances, a persistent tooth can cause abnormal growth and development of the jaw bones and will need to be treated by a veterinarian.³  

Elephants

It’s no secret that African and Asian elephants are known for their beautiful ivory tusks. Elephants use their tusks to dig, for protection, move objects, gather food, and remove tree bark to eat. Sadly, many poachers covet those tusks, making these large, intelligent animals endangered.⁴   

Elephant tusks are outward growths of their incisors that begin growing around the age of 2.5 to three years of age and grow an average of three to four inches yearly.⁵ African elephant tusks can grow to be six feet long and weigh as much as 50 pounds.⁴

Elephants are herbivores with only four molars to help grind and chew plants. Unlike other animals, their molars erupt from the posterior of their mouths and are pushed anteriorly.^4,5

When molars wear down, they are replaced with a new molar up to five times during their life.⁵ Each new molar is successively longer, wider, and heavier.⁴ The number of ridges on each molar increases as the elephant ages.⁵ The last molars can measure nearly 16 inches long and weigh about 11 pounds.⁴

When an elephant reaches about 60 years old, only the last set of four molars, or remnants of them, remain present. Sadly, sometimes tooth loss is the cause of death, as once the last set of molars is lost, starvation occurs.⁴

Hippopotamus

Much like the elephant, this giant creature is an herbivore with a mouth span of four feet across.⁶ While most herbivores generally have only flattened teeth, the hippo is an exception to the rule, featuring a complete set of 36 heterodont teeth, including incisors, canines, premolars, and molars.⁷

The hippo’s incredibly large incisors, which are responsible for their horny-lipped appearance, are used to aid the hippo in snatching grass. Incisors can grow up to 1.2 feet long. In contrast, their extremely sharp canines, often called tusks, are used for fighting over food and mates and can grow to impressive lengths of up to 1.5 feet long. Among land animals, hippos hold the record for the largest teeth.⁷

Hippos’ canines are comprised of enamel and dentin with an underlying layer of ivory, which places this animal at the same grave endangered risk as the elephant. Because of the denseness of the hippopotamus ivory, they are less resistant to wear, making them a popular material used in dentures and to substitute individual teeth during the 18^th century.⁷

The hippopotamus can open its jaw 150 to 180 degrees. With a stronger bite force than a lion (650 PSI) and a polar bear (1,200 PSI), the hippo exerts one of the world’s strongest bite forces of any land animal (1,800 PSI), meaning it can cut a human body in half in one bite!⁷

I do not want a hippopotamus for Christmas!

Sharks

I love to pilfer through seashell deposits while visiting the ocean, hoping to find a shark tooth or two. I have never been successful like a patient of mine who finds handfuls every visit.

Sharks are born with a complete set of teeth without roots that grow from the gingival tissue. They lose teeth daily while eating, hence the reason we are able to find so many washed ashore. Unlike humans, who may have a void before a new tooth erupts, sharks have teeth on standby on a conveyor belt-like system, moving teeth forward as one is lost.^8,9

Arranged in five to 15 rows, sharks have an average of 50 to 300 teeth, depending on the species.^8,9 The whale shark comes in at number one with an astonishing 3,000 teeth. In a lifetime, sharks can go through 25,000 to 35,000 teeth!⁹

A shark’s jaws are disconnected, allowing them to move independently and to be thrust forward to strike its prey. Sharks can pack a pretty mean punch with one bite, with the bull shark possessing 1,350 PSI.¹⁰

Alligators and Crocodiles

If you live near swampy territory, you are no stranger to these scary, fierce predators. While alligators and crocodiles are very similar reptiles, along with snout shape and habitat, the two can be distinguished by their teeth. The large fourth tooth in the lower jaw of an alligator fits into a socket in the upper jaw and is not visible when the mouth is closed – unlike in crocodiles.¹¹

Alligators have between 74 to 80 teeth in their mouth at once, while crocodiles can have between 60 to 110 teeth at once. Both animals will lose their teeth multiple times over their lifespan, with replacement teeth ready to fill the vacancies. Alligators will go through roughly 3,000 teeth in their lifetime, while the crocodile may go through 8,000 teeth throughout its life.¹¹

More impressive is the bite force at which these two exert. An American alligator has a bite force of approximately 2,125 PSI, and the Nile crocodile reportedly has a bite force of 5,000 PSI (30 times a human bite force).¹⁰ While the bite force from these reptiles is deathly, their ability to open is weak, and a rubber band would suffice to prevent it from opening.¹²

Beavers

Don’t let these little rodents fool you. Known for their buck teeth, these creatures are able to create intense damage to trees while creating their homes. In fact, a beaver can fall an 8-foot tall tree or smaller in five minutes.¹³ However, beavers can fall trees that are up to 33 inches in diameter in a matter of weeks.^13,14

Beavers have four incisors that are separated from the rest of their teeth, allowing for a second set of lips behind the infamous incisors. These lips act as a barrier to assist the beaver from swallowing massive amounts of water and splinters as it works.¹⁵

Unlike human enamel mineralized with calcium, beavers’ enamel is mineralized with iron, making them stronger. As these rodents gnaw wood, their incisors are sharpened, making their job easier. Due to the continuous whittling of the teeth, a beaver’s incisors will continue to grow so that it will always have an adequate amount of tooth structure to utilize for survivial.¹⁵

Snails and Slugs

Last but certainly not least are very tiny creatures often considered a nuisance – the snail and slug. Did you know that snails and slugs are the toothiest animals on the planet?¹⁶

Snails and slugs have a tongue called a radula covered in rows upon rows of teeth, helping them grasp food and eat. As these tiny toothy structures wear down, they are replaced by new ones that form posteriorly on the radula and move forward like a conveyor belt.¹⁶

There can be between 1,000 and 12,000 or more teeth present on a radula.¹⁷ The umbrella slug takes the ultimate prize of most teeth, going through 750,000 teeth in a lifetime.¹⁶

Radulae teeth can be venomous or razor-sharp. The Welsh ghost slug has razor-sharp teeth, each about half a millimeter long, used to kill and eat earthworms. The teeth of some species of tropical cone snails are venomous and paralyze prey before eating.¹⁷

These teeth are also incredibly strong. When tested, the tooth material of sea snails was discovered to be five times stronger than most spider silk, making it the strongest natural material on Earth. Researchers found that the sea snail teeth can withstand pressures that would turn carbon into diamonds.¹⁸

In Closing

Now that you have been educated on a variety of animal teeth, you are probably wondering how this is useful. While it may not help you treat your patients, it certainly gives you intriguing information to chatter about with your patients. Particularly pediatric patients or those who need a little loosening up particularly those who need a little loosening up. It may also give you a newfound appreciation for human teeth. Now, go impress your patients!

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References

1. Vanacore, C.B. (2024, October 5). Dogs and the Canine Family: Teeth. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/animal/dog/Teeth
2. PetMD Editorial. (2019, February 18). 5 Interesting Facts About Your Dog’s Teeth. PetMD. https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/5-interesting-facts-about-your-dogs-teeth
3. Hunter, T., Hiscox, L., Bellows, J. (n.d.). Persistent Deciduous Teeth (Baby Teeth) in Cats. VCA Animal Hospitals. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/retained-deciduous-teeth-baby-teeth-in-cats
4. The Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica. (2024, September 5). Ivory, Tusks and Teeth. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/ivory
5. Elephant Facts. (n.d.). Human Elephant Learning Programs. https://h-elp.org/elephant-facts
6. Hippopotamus: The Hippo’s Teeth and Its Diet. (n.d.). Science Encyclopedia. https://science.jrank.org/pages/3340/Hippopotamus-hippo-s-teeth-its-diet.html
7. Victor, T. (2022, January 14). Hippopotamus Teeth: Everything You Need to Know. AZ Animals. https://a-z-animals.com/blog/hippopotamus-teeth-everything-you-need-to-know/
8. So You Think You Know Shark Teeth? (2020, August 10). Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. https://www.pdza.org/so-you-think-you-know-shark-teeth/
9. How Many Teeth Do Sharks Have and Other Sharks’ Teeth Facts. (2021, October 8). Discovery UK. https://www.discoveryuk.com/sharks/how-many-teeth-do-sharks-have-and-other-sharks-teeth-facts/
10. Spanner, H. (2023, April 29). Top 10: Which Animals Have the Strongest Bite? BBC Science Focus. https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/top-10-which-animals-have-the-strongest-bite
11. Crocodilian. (n.d.). San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/crocodilian
12. The Crocodilian Body. (n.d.). Crocodile Specialist Group. https://www.iucncsg.org/pages/The-Crocodilian-Body.html
13. Do Beavers Eat Wood in Your Backyard? (2021, May 20). Westchester Wildlife. https://westchesterwildlife.com/blog/do-beavers-eat-wood-in-your-backyard/
14. Featherstone, N. (2021, September 16). Why Do Beavers Cut Down Trees? Forest Wildlife. https://www.forestwildlife.org/why-do-beavers-cut-down-trees/
15. Cassell, J. (2021, January 19). Wood You Believe It? Beaver’s Remarkable Teeth for Building Ecosystems. Tufts University. https://sites.tufts.edu/earthstewards/2021/01/19/wood-you-believe-it-beavers-remarkable-teeth-for-building-ecosystems/
16. Bryce, E. (2019, March 17). What Is the Toothiest Animal on Earth? Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/65009-animal-with-most-teeth.html 
17. Ling, T. (2020, December 15). Do Snails Have Teeth? BBC Science Focus. https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/do-snails-have-teeth
18. Fessenden, M. (2015, February 18). Snails’ Teeth Beats Spider Silk as Nature’s Strongest Material. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/spider-silk-loses-top-spot-natures-strongest-material-snails-teeth-180954346/