James said Wesley had inward facing canine teeth on his lower jaw along and outward facing incisors on his upper jaw. This is a problem because anytime Wesley would bite down, his teeth would rub together and poke the roof of his mouth causing pain.

Molly was worried because Wesley had stopped eating because of the pain and started losing weight.

To fix the issue, Wesley was given braces and some photos of him and his new teeth have gone viral.

James, owner of Veterinary Dental Solutions, a division of Harborfront Hospital for Animals in Spring Lake, Mich., has been an oral surgeon for nearly 10 years. He is also an associate professor at MSU and has been since 2005.

Harborfront Hospital for Animals posted the photo Feb. 26 for National Pet Dental Month. It now has almost 300,000 shares on Facebook.

“We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of care and interest from around the nation in our buddy 'Wesley,'" a post on the Harborfront Hospital for Animals' Facebook page said. "Dental care is just as important for the pets we love as it is for us and we are glad that his cute 'brace face' brought such interest. He is happily enjoying some of the benefits of his celebrity (although he already had ample hugs, kisses and belly rubs).”

This issue of inward pointing lower canines and outward pointing upward incisors are something James said he sees weekly as a veterinarian.

“Doggy teeth aren’t meant to rub together the way yours or mines are,” James said. “Humans have more enamel than dogs do.”

James also said braces for dogs are meant for health reasons and not aesthetic reasons. Wesley was showing no signs of discomfort from the braces, James said said. This is the case for most dogs.

Now Wesley must wait until he is fully healed to have his braces off.

“We had to remove his toys from him for the time being because of the braces, but he is looking to grab possibility anything and anywhere,” Molly said. “He loves to chew on the corners of the trim in the house.”

His braces are expected to be on for a few more weeks, then Wesley will be back to normal.