Broken Tooth

[Abby142]

Anyone out there have experience with broken teeth?



I was brushing Jade's teeth this evening when I saw one of her front teeth is very obviously broken. I have already called the vet's office and left a message to have them call me back first thing in the morning, but i'm curious if anyone has any experience with this. Do they repair the tooth, do they have to pull it?

A little background. We are pet sitting for my in-laws this week so we have Jade's littermate Zoey here from Sunday thru Thursday. Zoey has some of the nastiest teeth you have ever seen . Anyway my DH and I decided to go ahead and get her use to having her teeth brushed while she is staying with us. To show her that we aren't actually trying to kill her we always brush Jade's teeth first. Well today this is what I find.

I'm pretty sure it happened when they crashed mouth first into each other this afternoon. They both stopped for a minute and Jade kinda licked her lips, but then they both went back to playing so I didn't think anything of it. It doesn't seem to be bothering her at all, she has been playing all evening and ate dinner at her normal rate. I'm just a little worried cause it really looks pretty nasty.

[Sunflowers]

I would definitely go see a doggie dentist. That could get infected fairly quickly. Looks cracked all the way through. If I could save the tooth, I would do everything I could, but that looks iffy.

[jocoyn]

That one looks like it needs to be pulled. I think a regular veterinarian could manage that one because the roots are shallow on incisors. Definitely waste no time!

[Abby142]

When I checked Jade's tooth this morning the whole lower piece was broken off. She was getting really cranky late last night and this morning she just kinda moped around. Dropped her off at the vet this morning (no appointments available but they are going to try to look at her when they have a break). I'm pretty sure they will just pull it.

If they do pull it could that cause problems later down the road? For example in a person you can't just pull one tooth because it will cause the others to shift and can cause problems. Does the same thing happen in dogs?

[FlyAway]

Yep. My dog had a broken canine. It was previousely cracked and the jaw bone was already badly infected just from the crack. I took my dog to a board certified dog dentist and he got a root canal. It wasn't much more than an extraction, and the canine has a huge curved root, so I didn't want to risk other problems from an extraction.

[Abby142]

The vet agrees with sending her to a dentist, unfortunately they don't have any opening until next Thursday (dang people who get spring break!) so we will have to wait until then to see if they need to remove it, or if they can save it.

[Sunflowers]

No way would I be waiting that long --I would be drivin'!

Have you ever had an infected tooth? I'm only saying this because I've had two and it was the worst pain of my life

[Abby142]

both the vet and the dentist seem to believe that since we caught it immediately and since they are starting her on antibiotic that it should be okay. But you can bet that I will be checking it multiple times a day and if I see a problem someone WILL see her. While I have never had an infected tooth, I have had more than my fair share of mouth work done. No fun at all.

[Sunflowers]

Okay, fantastic that she's getting an anabiotic. You do not want to mess with an infection in the mouth. It is just horrific.

[gsdsar]

Why can't your vet pull the tooth? An incisor is an easy tooth to pull. Won't cause issues down the road. My boy had two of his top ones removed and he looked a bit goofy, but it never caused an issue.

I would not pay the extra couple hundred bucks to see a specialist if my vet was capable.

Also, there is little to no point trying to save it. If it was a canine or a molar, maybe. But not an incisor.


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