The Pink Teeth Phenomenon in Dogs and a Cat

Abstract

The observance of pink teeth during the postmortem period in humans is known as the pink teeth phenomenon. In contrast, postmortem pink discoloration of teeth is rarely reported in veterinary medicine. We examined the teeth of nine dogs and a cat postmortem, all of which had varying degrees of pink discoloration of the teeth. Pink discoloration occurred in all types of teeth (incisors, canine, premolar, and molar). The roots of several teeth were discolored, ranging from pink to red, and over a 2–3 week period one dog’s lower incisors’ color changed from pink to red. Although the mechanism causing teeth to change color is suspected to be the uptake of hemoglobin within dentin tubules, the trigger for this phenomenon is not well understood. Our findings confirm the occurrence of the pink teeth phenomenon in dogs and a cat.