My dog has a loose tooth and is rubbing his face raw. Is he in pain?

Bad teeth are common in older dogs. Loose teeth can cause problems with eating and chewing, but what is also very important they can cause chronic mouth pain. You should take BoBo to your vet for clinical examination and to assess what would be the best way to help your dog. In most of the cases, cleaning and scaling teeth under general anaesthesia is recommended. Also, extraction of loose teeth is often necessary.

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I do see a baby tooth there (the really pointy sharp tooth) and that is likely the tooth you are saying is really loose. Usually pets lose their baby teeth by the age of 6 months, so Vader is a bit of a late bloomer. I would recommend having your vet take a look at the tooth in person to see if it can be manipulated to come out. It may just come out on its own, but again, usually by this age the baby teeth are already gone. No need to worry too much however. If it does not come out on its own, then it can always be extracted at a later date. It is best to extract them to avoid overcrowding of the teeth and advanced dental disease. I would recommend brushing Vaders teeth often (3 times a week) to help remove foodstuffs that might get stuck there. Otherwise, plan on seeing your vet soon for further care if it doesn't happen to fall out soon. Best wishes with Vader and good luck with his stubborn baby tooth. Take care.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If Benji has a loose tooth, it may indicate infection. It sounds as though he may have dental disease already from last year's cleaning. I would recommend having his teeth cleaned again and have this tooth that is loose addressed. If the tooth is left in the mouth and is infected, it is likely that the infection could spread to the surrounding teeth and cause issues with those teeth as well. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It looks like he chewed something hard enough to loosen them or injured them otherwise. Maybe he was chewing something, got his teeth caught, panicked, and tore loose. From his expression he doesn't seem to be in any pain but I would call your vet and describe the problem and see if they recommend coming in. I feel this would probably heal okay on its own, but it's best to check with your vet and get their opinion.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If they do fall off usually that will not affect eating that much. However, if they are loose that is usually indicative of an underlying dental issue so I would recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If the baby tooth that was knocked out came out intact, meaning the entire root is present then he should be fine. If the tooth was broken then it could abscess or affect the adult tooth. The loose one will fall out on its own as that is the normal progression. If you are planning to neuter him you can do it sooner and have the vet X-ray the broken tooth and remove it while he’s under. I hope this helps!

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thanks for the pictures I see what you are worried about. Possible causes of the mass are: a benign over growth of gum tissue, an epulis, or cancerous growths. Some epulids are: Fibromatous, ossifying, and acanthomatous. Acanthomatous epuli, in particular, are highly invasive to the bone and are usually located on the front part of the lower jaw. It is sadly impossible to tell from just looking at the mass to say what it could be. I recommend you make an appointment with your Vet. Lucky will have to go under anesthesia, have dental X-rays taken of the area and the mass biopsied or removed, if able. I hope this helps! I wish Lucky the best!