[gsdforever850]

I was looking at my girl's teeth today. I have no idea when it happened, but one of her teeth has what looks like a triangle shaped chip in it. I'm going to set up an appointment with the vet tomorrow. I'm pretty worried, so if anyone else has had this happen, can you tell me your experience and what to expect, best and worst case scenarios?

When I try to put in the photo I took, it asks for the URL but I don't know what that means. It's one of the smaller teeth, second to the right from her top canine. I know it's not as important as any of the canines, but for what it's worth, the tips of all four of her canines are gone, too. She'll be 4 in November, and the tips disappeared sometime after she turned 2 (I think from chewing on tennis balls or dragging rocks around).

 

[wolfy dog]

Griff has one; an upper canine. Has been sealed and needs a cap. Insurance pays for it.

 

[tim_s_adams]

So my pup cracked a tooth recently, and our normal vet, who has been great and I like alot, said it doesn't look bad, and we can do an extraction for about 200.00. Or, you can have it repaired for 2K and up. Didn't set well with me so...

I took my pup to a veterinary dentist and they suggested repairing and sealing the tooth, which we did of course! Cost was $530. And that included cleaning and nail trimming!

At any rate, talk to a specialist in dog dentistry! Your vet may or may not know what's available in terms of options, and like mine, clearly not the cost involved!

The vet dentist did say that for sealing at least, there is a 1 week window...

 

[wolfy dog]

The reason I decided to have Griff's canine tooth capped is that sealing needs to be repeated every 6 months and it doesn't make the tooth stronger. He is not allowed to play tug until the tooth is capped. This dentist also treats the police dogs.
OP, do you have insurance?

 

[Nekro]

The reason I decided to have Griff's canine tooth capped is that sealing needs to be repeated every 6 months and it doesn't make the tooth stronger. He is not allowed to play tug until the tooth is capped. This dentist also treats the police dogs.
OP, do you have insurance?

Good to know if I ever have this problem with my dog.

 

[Magwart]

I think I'd probably skip the visit to your regular vet tomorrow, and go straight to the vet dentist, if you can get an appointment.



Regular vets usually cannot do much to repair damaged teeth--that requires specialty procedures they generally don't know how to do, or have the supplies to do. They can clean teeth, and they can extract teeth at the regular vet...but that's about it. As Tim pointed out, time is of the essence in getting to the vet dentist -- you lose treatment options with delay getting there.

 

[gsdforever850]

The reason I decided to have Griff's canine tooth capped is that sealing needs to be repeated every 6 months and it doesn't make the tooth stronger. He is not allowed to play tug until the tooth is capped. This dentist also treats the police dogs.
OP, do you have insurance?

No, we don't have insurance but it's something I'm going to check into tonight.

I took her to the vet this afternoon, and it turns out they have a vet dentist on site. She looked at the tooth and, as I suspected, recommended pulling it. Again, it's one of the small teeth between the canines, and it's basically been split down the middle. There's still a small sliver of the tooth's base on the side where it split, and the remaining half is wobbly. I just put the photo in - that was easy - so now everyone has a visual. And you wouldn't believe what I had to go through to get that shot.

She doesn't appear to be in any pain, but then, I don't know when this happened. She was rubbing at her face a lot a couple weeks back, but I figured she was trying to get something out of her eye. Anyway, she sent me away with scripts for Rimadyl for pain, since the nerve could be exposed and causing her problems. I haven't noticed any big changes in her eating or drinking habits, which would indicate pain, but I'll be keeping my eyes peeled. In the meantime, I'll just be feeding her soft food instead of her regular kibble (Annamaet Manitok Red Meat - any opinions on this brand?) She also prescribed Clindamycin, an antibiotic, but told me not to start her on it until Monday.

Xena's not big on chewing/gnawing, but she loves chasing things. I'm guessing she was chasing after a stick or ball that I threw for her and ran into something hard, like a branch or rock. I'm worried about dirt and debris getting in and causing an infection, so I'm thinking I should hold off playing fetch and other games where her mouth gets dirty until after she's recovered from the surgery. Or am I going a little overboard on this? She gets a lot of exercise running after things in the yard, but I also take her for walks, out socializing in heavily trafficked areas, and have someone who goes running with her a few times a week. Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

[Nigel]

I would get the split one removed and ask what the vet dentist thinks about the other incisors. Looks like a few more are broken off.