Gum disease is the main dental problem in Pomeranians, and the main reason adult Poms lose teeth. In a 2026 survey of 12,753 dogs in the US and Canada, owners reported gum disease in Pomeranians at about twice the odds seen in mixed breeds (Jemmett and colleagues, 2026). The other common problem starts earlier, with baby teeth that don't fall out.
Much of the risk comes from size. A show-weight Pomeranian is about 2 kg and still has 42 adult teeth, which crowds the jaw, as our page on dental problems in small breeds explains. How gum disease starts and spreads is in our main guide to periodontal disease in dogs.
What the research says about Pomeranians
Pomeranians have been studied far less than Yorkies or Chihuahuas. When we searched the veterinary literature in November 2026 we found no study of dental disease in the breed itself, and the large UK study of vet records on gum disease (O'Neill and colleagues, 2021) doesn't report Pomeranians separately.
The one breed-level figure comes from that North American survey. About 320 of the dogs were Pomeranians. Compared with mixed breeds, they had the fifth highest odds of gum disease of any breed in the survey, 2.02 once age was taken into account. Ten of the breeds with raised odds were toy or small breeds. Across all toy breeds, owners reported gum disease in 65.9% of dogs, against 35.5% in large breeds.
The figure has limits. These are owners' answers to a questionnaire, not findings from a mouth exam. When the authors adjusted for several factors at once, breed on its own no longer reached significance. Three of the authors work for Mars Petcare, and the fourth worked for the fresh dog food company whose customers filled in the survey.
Size is the likely link. The Royal Kennel Club sets the ideal weight at 1.8 to 2 kg for males and 2 to 2.5 kg for females, which puts the breed deep inside the "extra-small" class that dental studies single out. Many pet Pomeranians are heavier than that, and they are still toy dogs by dental standards.
Baby teeth that stay
A puppy has 28 baby teeth, and each one should fall out as the adult tooth behind it comes through, usually by about 6 to 7 months. In toy breeds that fails more often. In records from almost 3 million US dogs, 15% of extra-small breeds (under 6.5 kg) had a baby tooth that stayed put, against 7% of dogs overall (Wallis and colleagues, 2024). Retained upper canines are the easiest to spot, two pointed teeth side by side where there should be one.
A retained baby tooth is not harmless. It crowds the adult tooth, traps food against it and can push it into the wrong place. The 2019 AAHA dental guidelines call it "critical" to deal with retained baby teeth as the adult teeth erupt, and say immediate extraction can help prevent a bad bite and the crowding that makes gum disease worse. Your vet removes them under anesthesia, ideally as soon as the adult tooth is coming through rather than months later.
Look in your puppy's mouth at about 6 months, and again at 7. Our puppy teething timeline shows which teeth should be in by when. Don't try to wiggle a stuck tooth out at home, as the root can snap and stay in the gum.
Why a Pomeranian's teeth fall out
A Pom under about 7 months that loses a tooth is teething. In an adult, gum disease has usually eaten into the bone and ligament around the root, and once more than half of a root's support is gone, the tooth usually has to come out. In small breeds the front teeth and canines tend to go first, which is why some Poms come home from a dental without the small front teeth between the canines.
That sounds worse for the dog than it is. Dogs eat well with few or even no teeth once the gums have healed, with soaked or soft food for the first weeks, and a painful, infected tooth left in does far more harm than the gap.
Signs you can spot under the fur
A Pomeranian's thick ruff hides the mouth, so you often notice the dog's behavior before you see the teeth. The same survey asked owners about everyday signs. Dogs with bad breath had 2.32 times the odds of reported gum disease, dogs that dropped food or chewed on one side 1.34 times, and dogs that pulled away when their head was touched 1.28 times.
The last one matters for this breed. A Pom that hates having its face handled is easy to write off as fussy. Sometimes its mouth hurts. Once a week, part the fur at the side of the muzzle, lift the lip and look along the gumline of the canines and front teeth. Red gums, brown tartar or a smell that hits you as you lift the lip are all reasons to book a check.
Home care for a 2 kg dog
Brushing has the best evidence of any home care. In a 28-day Beagle trial, plaque and tartar stayed lower with brushing every day or every other day than with once a week (Harvey and colleagues, 2015). With a Pom that hates its face handled, every other day is a fair place to start.
This is what we suggest for a dog this size.
- A 2 kg mouth needs a finger brush or the tiniest soft brush. Use dog toothpaste only, as human toothpaste isn't made to be swallowed.
- Sit the dog on your lap facing away from you, tuck the ruff back with your thumb and lift the lip from the side.
- Start with the canines and front teeth, where gum disease in small dogs often starts, then slide the brush back along the cheek.
- Keep sessions to a minute or less. If your Pom fights it every time, its mouth may hurt, and that needs a vet check before you carry on.
Size chews to the weight on the pack, and give only ones that dent under your thumbnail. Antlers, hooves, hard nylon and cooked bones are the kind that break teeth, and a 2 kg dog has very little tooth to spare.
A Pom that won't let you near its face can still have Caniclean, our seaweed powder, sprinkled on its food. It helps reduce plaque and new tartar, and the pack lists the dose by weight. A verified buyer, Sarah Haughian, wrote on March 20, 2024, "my dog has dreadfull bad breath been using for about 2 weeks and all the bad breath has gone". Her review doesn't name a breed. Powder in the bowl only reaches new build-up. Hardened tartar and gum disease below the gumline are a job for your vet. Check with your vet first if your Pom is pregnant or has a thyroid or kidney condition, or if it's a young puppy. That applies to chews and supplements too.
Cleanings under anesthesia
Brushing and powder both stop at the gumline, and gum disease does its damage below it. Reaching it takes a full cleaning, with dental X-rays, while the dog is under general anesthesia. AAHA wants the first one done by age 1 in a small breed. The American Veterinary Dental College advises against anesthesia-free scaling, which only scrapes off the tartar you can already see.
If putting a 2 kg dog under makes you nervous, our guide to how safe dental anesthesia is puts the risk in numbers.
When to see the vet
A Pom that has started pulling away when you touch its face is worth a check. So are bad breath that won't clear, red or bleeding gums, brown tartar, a loose adult tooth, food dropped or chewed on one side, and a puppy over 6 months with two teeth in one spot. If your Pomeranian stops eating, has a swollen face or jaw, or cries when it chews, call the vet the same day.
Never give a dog your own painkillers. The FDA warns that human anti-inflammatories may not be safe for dogs and that acetaminophen can damage a dog's liver. Call your vet instead.
Common questions
Do Pomeranians have bad teeth? They are prone to gum disease. In a North American owner survey their odds of gum disease were about twice those of mixed breeds, and retained baby teeth are common in the breed's size class.
Why are my Pomeranian's teeth falling out? Up to about 7 months, because it's teething. After that, usually because gum disease has eaten away the bone that holds the root, often starting with the front teeth and canines. An adult tooth that comes loose needs a vet check.
What can I give my Pomeranian for tooth pain? Nothing from your own medicine cabinet. Human painkillers can poison dogs, so call your vet, who can prescribe a dog-safe pain reliever and find the tooth causing it.
Can a Pomeranian live without teeth? Yes. Dogs eat well with few or no teeth once the mouth has healed. Soft or soaked food helps for the first weeks.
References
- Bellows J, Berg ML, Dennis S, et al. 2019 AAHA Dental Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 2019;55(2):49-69. doi:10.5326/JAAHA-MS-6933.
- American Veterinary Dental College. Companion animal dental scaling without anesthesia. Position statement.
- Harvey C, Serfilippi L, Barnvos D. Effect of frequency of brushing teeth on plaque and calculus accumulation, and gingivitis in dogs. Journal of Veterinary Dentistry 2015;32(1):16-21. doi:10.1177/089875641503200102.
- Jemmett AA, Salt C, Perry LA, O'Flynn C. Risk assessment of canine periodontal disease: insights from owner-reported health questionnaires. Journal of Small Animal Practice 2026;67(8):721-733. doi:10.1111/jsap.70121.
- O'Neill DG, Mitchell CE, Humphrey J, Church DB, Brodbelt DC, Pegram C. Epidemiology of periodontal disease in dogs in the UK primary-care veterinary setting. Journal of Small Animal Practice 2021;62(12):1051-1061. doi:10.1111/jsap.13405.
- The Royal Kennel Club. Pomeranian breed standard.
- US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine. Get the facts about pain relievers for pets. 2022.
- Wallis C, Ivanova A, Holcombe LJ. Persistent deciduous teeth: association of prevalence with breed, breed size and body weight in pure-bred client-owned dogs in the United States. Research in Veterinary Science 2024;169:105161. doi:10.1016/j.rvsc.2024.105161.