My dog's incisor broke, showing an orange dot. What should I do?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Luna. It looks like it could be her baby tooth, and if the tooth is turning brown, I'm worried about the viability of the tooth. If the pulp is exposed, this will also cause her pain. Have her seen by her vet in the morning to discuss removing this tooth as needed. I hope this helps!

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!

What you see as a beige dot is the opened up pulpa of the tooth, This is indeed painful and also an entry way for bacteria. In young dogs (usually puppies) this can cause them to contract tetanus. You would not notice whether she was in pain as dogs do not chew with their incisors. You should take her to your vet to have that damaged tooth either repaired or removed in order to avoid some bacterial infection as well as to take the pain.

Hello, thank you for your question about Fly. If the pulp (or sensitive nerve portion) of the tooth is exposed having the tooth extracted is the best treatment option. Pulp exposure can lead to pain and also serve as a source of infection leading to further complications down the line. Dental surgery is a fairly routine procedure that most veterinarians are very comfortable with. In most cases a pre-operative workup is performed to ensure that Fly is a good candidate for general anesthesia. During the procedure the canine would be extracted and all of his other teeth could be cleaned of tartar. If he is otherwise healthy with no prior medical history there is no reason to think that he would not tolerate this procedure. Hope this helps, good luck!

Thank you for providing such good pictures. It looks like Lars has broken part of his tooth and what you are seeing is the pulp cavity. The pulp cavity is the center of the tooth where the nerves and blood supply run. The problem with having the pulp cavity exposed is that the area will be painful, and bacteria can now get into the tooth. In order to prevent infection, either the tooth needs to be extracted or a root canal needs to be performed. If your vet doesn't perform these procedures, they can refer you to a veterinary dentist who does. But have your vet evaluate Lars and give you their recommendation. I would also recommend discussing Lars' chewing habits, so you can try to figure out what caused this, so he doesn't break any other teeth. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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! This does warrant a visit to your veterinarian as that color of the tooth suggests that the tooth may be dead and needs to be removed. I recommend that you have Luna evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to look at this closely and decide what would be best. Good luck and have a great day!