How Many Teeth Do Rats Have?
WouterRats have a complicated dental system. Their incisors are made up of three layers: the inner core, the dentin, and the outer enamel. In addition, the incisors are continuously growing and have a pronounced 86-degree angle. The incisors are also very sharp and have hard enamel on the front surface. The back surface is made up of soft dentin.
In general, rats have six to seven teeth. The incisors are the front teeth, and they are white at birth. In a few months, they change color to a yellowish color. Older rats develop yellow incisors. This characteristic is a result of their natural chewing. Rats grow incisors at a rate of about two millimeters a week.
Rats’ incisors have yellowish pigment. The incisors of an adult rat should be four to seven millimeters long. Typically, the upper incisors have more yellow pigment than the lower incisors. These incisors grow at an average rate of four to five millimeters per year. The incisors are covered with hard yellow enamel, which contains iron. The color deepens as the rat grows older.
Rats have 16 teeth in total. Their jaws are not shaped like human teeth, but the fact that they lack a canine tooth is still an eye-opening fact. The molars are a grinding set of teeth located behind the incisors and premolars, and their teeth are separated by a gap called a diastema.
