My dog broke a tooth and is still in pain. What can I do to help?

I'm sorry to hear about this. The biggest concern with broken teeth is if the tooth root is exposed. This is not an emergency, but is painful and makes the teeth and roots susceptible to infection. In some cases the teeth can be repaired by a veterinary dentistry specialist, but in most cases they would have to be extracted. Considering this happened at the veterinary office, they should take some responsibility. I also understand that this would have been a difficult situation to control for the vet clinic and there may have been some broken teeth or dental disease prior to this incident. In these cases, I recommend talking with the veterinary practice owner and expressing your concerns and how you would like to be compensated. I understand that you must be very upset with them, but these matters can get much worse if you involve other people rather than communicating directly with the people in charge. It's best to talk with them directly as best as you can. I can tell you from experience that the clients that approach these issues calmly and reasonably with their concerns have more favorable outcomes. Give them a chance to explain their perspective and allow them to do the right thing (apologize and offer treatment for the teeth) on their own. Also, please understand that these are people too...who will occasionally make mistakes. I'm sure they did not want this to happen and I'm sure they feel bad about it. If talking with them does not work, or you feel that they did not give you a satisfactory response after giving them the opportunity, then the next step would be to take Mouch to another veterinarian for an outside opinion. They can give a non-biased evaluation of the problem and help you pursue compensation (if needed). You may also consider talking with the local veterinary council/board if you feel that the vet clinic is being unreasonable about the situation. I hope that helps and Mouch gets better soon.

Poor thing! I can’t imagine breaking one of my teeth at the gumline. I understand that you are very concerned about her experiencing pain and I am certain that it is painful to have a broken tooth at the gumline. But here is the problem, most over-the-counter pain medications that would be strong enough to help her will interfere with tissue and blood clotting. Why does this matter? Because most likely your veterinarian will recommend either extraction of that tooth or restorative surgery for that tooth. Both procedures will involve anesthesia as well as tissue manipulation. So I cannot recommend you start any kind of pain medication right now at all. But never underestimate the power of simply petting and loving your dog during the six hour wait. Studies have shown that simply by safely and lovingly stroking and speaking to your pet can provide a lot of unexplained stress and pain relief. The time should pass by very quickly for you when your pet and then you will be able to get The pain treated with possible surgery and medications. I hope this has helped.

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!

Feed a soft diet until she sees the doctor. There is nothing OTC that can safely given for pain. Many OTC medications for humans are toxic to dogs or easily overdosed. That tooth may need to be extracted.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about your puppy. Do not give him any human pain relievers, as many are toxic to puppies and can be fatal if given. Given he's running and playing, just observe him tonight. Have him seen by a vet in the morning, and the vet can remove it as needed. Best of luck.

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!

Ouch, poor Bently! You will need to take him into the vet to have his mouth examined. If the tooth broke off, there may still be a portion of the root in his gums, and it will need to be removed under sedation. I would feed him soft food tonight, as it may be painful for him to chew with a broken tooth, but don't feed him past 8pm, as he will need an empty stomach if he's to be sedated in the morning. I would take him into the vet first thing tomorrow morning.