Broken tooth - Page 1

I just noticed my dog broke one of his small front teeth between his canines. Should I be concerned, does he need dental work? Just the tip. Thanks, Melanie

Hard to say unless you actually see the tooth and how far down it's broken.

its right where the tooth starts to curve inwards toward the pointed tip. Thanks, Melanie

Melanie, If this dog is a pupsters... don't worry about it... If it's an adult I would take him to the vet office . This question is indeed suitable for professionals only.

Hi Melanie if the break is minor and the pulp is not exposed, just leave it as is. If the pulp is exposed and nothing is done the tooth will die, darken, and fall out eventually. Make sure proper dentition is recorded by the vet. Or better yet by an SV judge or Koermaster, right inside the pink papers (if he has them) on the bottom right hand side of the inside pages. If that is already done then everything is fine in terms of showing and KKL etc. Regardless, an incisii can be missing (up to 3 minor teeth can be missing) and the dog can still KKL, but then only in 2. If the pulp is exposed (fresh break the pulp looks pink, old break the pulp looks like a black dot) it could be a possible source for infection, though nothing to loose much sleep over as long as gums look healthy. For some dogs it can cause problems though, so at least keep an eye on it. Option one is to have a root canal done. For such a small and minor tooth hardly worth the expense. Root canals are a good idea when you need to save a major tooth like a canine, P4 etc. Option two is to have it removed. For such a small tooth you should be ok to wait until the dog is due for a check up again. For that type of tooth, that is what I would do (and have done in the past).

Thanks DH Regards, Melanie