07 Mar What To Do If Your Dog Fractures a Tooth?
On September, 2024, I wrote a blog titled, ‘Oh Dear! What Should I Do If My Dog Breaks a Tooth?’ The link to that article is here: https://yourpetdentist.com/dog-breaks-a-tooth/.
I want to expand on that article and go over the consequences and reasons why a fractured tooth should not be left ‘to keep an eye on it’ but rather to treat it. As the previous article mentions, tooth fracture occurs at a high rate (20-27%) in dogs. It happens a lot, so of every 100 dogs I see, at least ¼ of them have a tooth fracture.
Pain is a consequence of tooth fracture, and one usually says that their pet isn’t showing any signs of discomfort. That, unfortunately, is a fallacy that has been debunked. Dog tooth fractures are indeed a painful event, whether only the underlying dentin is fractured or the tooth fracture extends into the pulp cavity. Dogs and cats are genetically wired to not show pain. It’s a survival of the fittest mentality and I notice this so often that AFTER the tooth has been treated, the pet owner says his dog is feeling better, acting better, and overall is ‘back to normal.’ Don’t fall into the trap that your dog doesn’t experience pain. That’s wrong.
Here are a few facts related to dog tooth fractures:
- A tooth fracture can lead to a dead tooth even if the pulp is not exposed
- A tooth fracture extending below the gum line not only can cause tooth death but also inflammation (gingivitis or even periodontal disease)
- A tooth fracture that has pulp exposure MUST receive one of two treatments: surgical extraction or root canal therapy…therefore ‘keeping an eye on it’ is malpractice.
- Only dental radiographs or Cone beam CT (CBCT) can diagnose tooth root disease
- Antibiotics WILL NOT treat the problem and cure it. NEVER!
- If the enamel is only fractured, this can be monitored. But a keen eye must identify this and differentiate this from a fracture that includes dentin exposure.
Tooth fracture that is involving dentin exposure but not pulp cavity (uncomplicated crown fx)
One also needs to ask what caused the tooth fracture and did you give your dog a treat that caused this? One rule of thumb should be adhered to: if you hit the chew against your knee cap and it hurts, don’t give it to your dog. Chews and toys that historically bad are deer and elk antlers, nylabones, large bully sticks, and cow hooves. One should avoid these at all costs, regardless how much your dog loves them.
If your dog’s tooth is fractured, here are the potential treatment options:
- Odontoplasty (smoothing tooth surface) and dentin bonding
- Composite restoration (placement of tooth colored material over fracture)
- Root canal therapy
- Surgical extraction
Radiograph of an uncomplicated crown fracture that has endodontic disease (see red circle). This tooth either requires root canal therapy or surgical extraction
Look in your dog’s mouth frequently, at least once weekly. Look very closely to the maxillary cheek teeth as they are the ones that fracture a lot when chewing on the above chews. If you notice that your dog does have a tooth fracture, contact your family veterinarian or us. We’d be honored to see your pet and look closely at the tooth involved and look at the rest of the mouth as well.
Bottom line is it’s not acceptable to have a broken tooth in the mouth without further investigation (x-rays or cone beam CT). Don’t let your pet suffer unnecessarily.
Barden Greenfield, DVM, Dipl. AVDC
Board certified veterinary dentist ™
Your Pet Dentist of Nashville
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (03/06/2025) Photo by Lucian on Unsplash