What should I do if my dog has a chipped or broken front tooth?

Many dogs have no complications from such an injury and extraction is complicated with a risk of fracture and non healing wounds. I would recommend close monitoring and xray of the tooth to assess for any bone loss around the tooth in 6-12months

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 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.

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!

Hello. That tooth probably should come out, even though it is a puppy tooth, but you can wait until Friday as long as Luna does not seem uncomfortable. . Your veterinarian might just leave it be, but there is a small chance of infection that can get into the root & then the bone causing problems with the adult tooth. Just see what your vet says, but she will be fine until your appointment. Thanks for contacting 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!

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear about Mars' troubles. It's a bit hard to see from the pictures but the tooth definitely looks a little bit discolored. And it almost looks like what we call a "slab fracture" where a flat, wide piece of the tooth breaks off. Dogs can do this by biting onto something hard, like a bone. This can expose the inside of the tooth to infection, and also be very uncomfortable. I would definitely have a veterinarian take a look at the tooth, to see if it should be extracted under anesthesia as this is the best way to treat a tooth like this. By removing the tooth, one removes the source, or potential source, of pain and discomfort. The veterinarian can also clean the rest of the teeth too, which would be great for Mars' overall health. Best of luck!