Is my dog's back tooth broken? She's eating and seems fine.

I'm not sure from the photo whether this is a slab fracture of the large premolar or if it is a retained deciduous or baby tooth. It should be looked at by your veterinarian to determine if Charlie needs sedation and dental work. If it is either a fractured tooth or a baby tooth, it needs to be worked on.

Hi there. This is a very good question. Based on the photo, this type of tooth fracture is usually referred to as a "slab fracture". Dogs often get these from chewing on hard objects like bones or rocks. Although I can't see too well on the picture, I would be concerned about the pulp cavity being exposed. This is the area that runs throughout the length of the tooth carrying blood supply and nutrients to the tooth. If exposed, there is a greater likelihood that the tooth can become infected and decay quite rapidly. It can also cause pain in the mouth. Freddie's veterinarian can check with a dental probe to see if the pulp cavity is exposed. Sometimes this can be done while the dog is awake, but sometimes it has to be done under sedation or anesthesia. If Freddie has a bit of tartar, you can just schedule a teeth cleaning and his vet can check it out then. If the pulp cavity is exposed, extracting the tooth is recommended to avoid infection and pain. Once Freddie's tooth is removed, he probably won't miss it. A soften diet and no chew toys for a couple of weeks and he'd be good to go. I hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. So this is a “complicated” fracture of the canine- meaning the pulp cavity is exposed. Unfortunately, if Titus walked into my office, I’d recommend scheduling a dental and removing the tooth. Once the pulp cavity is exposed, bacteria can travel up it and cause a deep abscess in the bone. Then you have weeks of antibiotics and still have to do the procedure. This does not always happen, but there is no way to know which case it will happen to. The other option is seeing a dental specialist for a root canal and crown. That being said, it’s not very painful unless he is chewing with it (which he’ll probably avoid). And not much is going to happen in the next two days, or even in the next two months. Don’t put anything on there and just leave it alone. Schedule an appointment when it’s convenient and talk with your vet about your options. Also talk about why he is chewing his crate (often a sign of moderate to severe separation anxiety). And how to prevent future damage to other teeth. Best wishes to you and Titus!

Hello, sorry to hear about Bella. It looks like the crown of her canine tooth broke off. Although she may have experienced some discomfort, it is also likely that Bella had underlying dental disease which caused her tooth to become weakened and thus break while playing. Therefore, its unlikely she is experiencing any additional discomfort now. If you see she does not want to eat, or has excessive salivation, or is pawing at her face, then you should could have more concerning discomfort. Bella should be evaluated, but it is something that can wait so that she may see her primary care veterinarian tomorrow for a dental appointment. You may feed her soft food until she is seen by her veterinarian. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It does not look like a broken tooth. However, checking Max's mouth for any fractured or missing teeth would be recommended. Missing or fractured premolar or molar tooth should be obvious when you inspect his mouth.

Hello, and thank you for your question. I would recommend getting Archi seen by a vet within the next few days, to assess the severity of the broken tooth. If the fracture is deep enough to expose the nerve, it can cause pain and infection, and can affect eruption of the adult tooth. In this case, they may recommend extraction of the tooth. If the fracture is shallow, the vet may just recommend monitoring it until it falls out (usually by 6 months of age). In the meantime, offer Archi the option of softer food (canned food, watered down dry food) in case the broken tooth is causing him pain. Monitor for any discolouration of the tooth which would warrant immediate attention by a vet. I hope this helps, and that Archi does okay!

Hello and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It does look as though the pulp cavity is exposed, which commonly happens with fractures like this. If the pulp cavity is open, the root is exposed, which is very painful and increases the risk that the tooth will get infected. I would recommend taking Sky to your veterinarian to confirm if the pulp cavity is exposed and extract the tooth if it is.