Yorkshire Terriers are one of the most dental disease-prone breeds, and the core reason comes down to a mismatch: their teeth are too large for their jaws. This creates crowding, traps food and bacteria, and sets the stage for gum disease that can start surprisingly early in life. But crowding isn’t the only factor. Yorkies also tend to retain their baby teeth longer than other breeds, compounding the problem.
Too Many Teeth, Too Little Jaw
Every dog, regardless of size, has the same 42 adult teeth. A Great Dane and a five-pound Yorkie share the same dental formula. The difference is that a Yorkie’s jaw is a fraction of the size, while its teeth haven’t shrunk proportionally. Research published in Veterinary Sciences found that toy and small-breed dogs have significantly larger teeth relative to their arch perimeter compared with medium and large breeds. The total tooth width compared to the length of the jaw is measurably higher in smaller breeds, meaning there is simply less space between each tooth.
This isn’t a flaw in any individual Yorkie. It’s a genetic disconnect: the genes that control body size appear to operate independently from the genes that regulate tooth size. Breeding dogs smaller over generations shrank the skull and jaw, but the teeth didn’t follow at the same rate. The result is overcrowding, with teeth packed tightly together or even overlapping. Those tight gaps become traps for food particles and plaque, areas your dog’s tongue and saliva can’t clean naturally. Plaque hardens into tartar, bacteria multiply along the gumline, and periodontal disease takes hold.
Retained Baby Teeth Make It Worse
Yorkies are especially prone to a condition called persistent deciduous teeth, where baby teeth don’t fall out on schedule. Normally, as an adult tooth pushes upward, it puts pressure on the root of the baby tooth above it, gradually dissolving that root until the baby tooth loosens and falls out. In Yorkies, this process frequently goes wrong. The most common cause is an incorrect eruption path: the adult tooth comes in at a slight angle, misses the baby tooth root, and both teeth end up occupying the jaw at the same time.
When a baby tooth and its adult replacement sit side by side, the already-crowded mouth becomes even more packed. Food and bacteria wedge into the narrow channel between the two teeth, an area that’s nearly impossible to clean. Persistent baby teeth can also force adult teeth into abnormal positions, sometimes angling them into the palate or twisting them out of alignment. This creates bite problems and yet more pockets where plaque accumulates. If your vet spots retained baby teeth during a checkup, they’ll typically recommend extraction to give the adult teeth room to settle into their correct positions.
Why Gum Disease Progresses So Quickly
Periodontal disease in Yorkies doesn’t just start earlier than in larger breeds. It also tends to advance faster. The combination of crowding and retained teeth means plaque buildup is constant and widespread. In a larger dog with well-spaced teeth, early gum inflammation (gingivitis) may stay mild for months or years before progressing. In a Yorkie, the same process can escalate because the anatomy offers bacteria so many sheltered spots to thrive.
As gum disease worsens, it destroys the tissue and bone that hold teeth in place. Yorkies commonly lose teeth by middle age if their dental health isn’t actively managed. Because their jawbones are small and thin to begin with, even moderate bone loss can loosen teeth quickly. It’s not unusual for a Yorkie to need multiple extractions by age seven or eight, particularly if dental care has been minimal.
The Risks Beyond the Mouth
Dental disease in Yorkies isn’t just about bad breath and lost teeth. Bacteria from infected gums enter the bloodstream every time your dog chews, creating a low-grade but persistent infection that can affect distant organs. A retrospective study of 136 dogs found a statistically significant association between periodontal disease and cardiac disease. Researchers have also investigated links to kidney and liver damage, since these organs filter bacteria-laden blood. For a small dog like a Yorkie, whose organs are already working at a smaller scale, chronic bacterial exposure from untreated dental disease is a real health concern over a lifetime.
Signs Your Yorkie’s Teeth Are Hurting
Dogs hide oral pain well, and Yorkies are no exception. You’re unlikely to see your dog stop eating entirely. Instead, the signs are subtle: eating more slowly than usual, dropping kibble from the mouth while chewing, or showing less enthusiasm for dry food and hard treats. Some dogs begin favoring one side of the mouth. Excessive drooling, pawing at the face, and new resistance to having the mouth or muzzle touched are also common indicators. If your Yorkie suddenly refuses a favorite chew toy they’ve always loved, pain is a likely explanation.
Keeping a Yorkie’s Teeth Healthy
Daily tooth brushing is the single most effective thing you can do between professional cleanings. It doesn’t need to be a long process. A small, soft-bristled brush or a finger brush with dog-safe toothpaste, worked along the outer surfaces of the teeth for 30 to 60 seconds, makes a meaningful difference in plaque control. Starting when your Yorkie is young helps them accept it as routine. The key is consistency: brushing a few times a week is good, but daily is significantly better for a breed this prone to buildup.
Professional dental cleanings under anesthesia allow your vet to probe beneath the gumline, take dental X-rays, and address problems you can’t see or reach at home. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends at least an annual oral exam, but many vets suggest toy breeds like Yorkies come in more frequently because disease progresses faster in small mouths. During these visits, your vet can also catch retained baby teeth early, before they cause alignment issues or accelerate decay in neighboring teeth.
Dental chews and water additives marketed for oral health can provide some supplemental benefit, but they don’t replace brushing. Think of them the way you’d think of mouthwash for yourself: a useful extra, not a substitute for a toothbrush. For Yorkies specifically, the physical act of disrupting plaque along those tightly packed tooth surfaces is what matters most.