Broken Tooth

[Guest brady_the_greyt]

Last night Brady broke one of his front canine "fangs" pretty much in half (he was in a panic and began chewing on a lamp). It doesn't seem to be bothering him at all - he ate his breakfast no problem this morning. We were wondering if we should bring him to a vet to get it looked at - not sure if there is an exposed nerve or anything else that needs to attended to.

 

Thanks

[Guest Vers]

A e-vet can probably put a sealant on the break to hopefully save the nerve and the tooth. He may also need antobiotics. I'd encourage you to get him to the vet as soon as possible, even if the break isn't bothering him. The expense will be less than an extraction later.

[tbhounds]

Sadly, the tooth may need to be extracted as it is now a potential source of infection. Do you have a veterinary dentist near you??

[Guest kydie]

I discovered a broken tooth on my old girl,, non-grey,,, today, I started her on Keflex , and will see the vet tomorrow, after inspection of it, I am sure it will have to be removed, a vet dentist? i read about them once,,, not likley we will be making THAT trip

[GeorgeofNE]

You don't need a doggy dentist. Any vet can remove a tooth--if it even needs to be removed.

 

And I seriously don't think a day is going to make any difference, and would not personally go to an e-vet for a broken tooth unless it was causing my dog pain.

[Guest Vers]

Getting the tooth sealed before it's infected can make a difference. Waiting until the tooth is infected means a definite extraction.

 

Yes, just about any vet will do extractions. No worries there.

 

If you have antibiotics on hand, this is a good time to give them unless you're already at the vet.

[Guest Fasave]

Canines are difficult teeth. The top ones go way up practically into the sinuses. The bottoms go into the lower jaw. My guy broke a bottom canine falling down the deck stairs and taking a face plant on a slab of flagstone. It was no emergency but did need to be removed. I did take him to a veterinary dentist which I would always do for questionable teeth. Regulars vets can remove them but many don't feel comfortable as it's possible to break the jaw if not done correctly. My guys tooth was snapped in half. We did talk about a root canal but he said it's not worth the money as he would do fine without the tooth. At the time my guy was a foster and hadn't had a dental yet so we took care of it all at once. He had a full set of x-rays and lost one other molar. He is four years old and the dentist told me if I keep up with the dental care, he will likely not need another dental in his lifetime as the x-rays showed all other teeth were alive and healthy.

 

Good dental health is essential to overall good health. The dentist I went to charged by the amount of time the procedure took and not the type of work. When my regular vet did one of my guys dentals, the pup lost 18 teeth and I got charged per tooth! If one is near you, I would recommend seeing them for a consult.