Is my dog's tooth chipped, or is it just tartar flaking off?

Your dog is missing some of the upper incisor teeth. They probably fell out either due to trauma or infection; infection is most likely. There is nothing you can do for that now. But you can make sure the rest of her teeth stay healthy so she doesn't lose any more teeth. The ones I can see in the photo have a lot of tartar so I suggest you have your vet evaluate the teeth and schedule a dental cleaning. ( https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/dental-disease/ ) ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/your-pets-dental-cleaning-what-to-expect/ ) After the teeth have been cleaned you can start a regimen to prevent further tartar build-up like daily brushing of the teeth, dental pads and/or water additives. Your vet can tell you more.

What I see in your pictures looks like tartar buildup. It happens more frequently in smaller breeds and is sometimes associated with feeding wet food. Getting her teeth cleaned by your vet will remove the tartar (you can't clean it off by yourself, it's adhered firmly to the teeth) and ensure she remains healthy for longer. Tartar buildup will trap more material, irritate the gums, breed bacteria, leading to foul breath, gum and even heart disease, as the irritated gum allow the bacteria to get into the bloodstream more easily. I recommend getting her in to see your vet for an exam and bloodwork to see how well she'll tolerate anesthesia. She will have to be anesthetized for the procedure. Trust me, this is in everyone's best interests. It greatly reduces the stress for your dog and keeps the veterinary staff from getting bitten by a frightened dog. They will remove the tartar with a scaler, polish the teeth to make it more difficult for new tartar to adhere and most likely recommend some treatments you can do at home to help slow the rate at which tartar collects on her teeth in the future.

Thank you for providing a picture of Shad's teeth! It looks like he has some tartar build up on that canine tooth, and I see his gums along his teeth are red. This is a sign of gingivitis. It looks like it's time for a dental cleaning, scaling, and polishing. I would give his vet a call on Monday to set up an appointment to have this done within the next week or two. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

This doesn't look like an infection to me, this is just normal deposit on top of the tooth, this can be removed with scale and polish procedure, but at the moment it is not nearly bad enough to have this procedure done, maybe in a few years.

Hi and thanks for your request. This presentation is likely to be caused by a severe tartar accumulation and possibly an infection of the tooth. Severe gingival retraction and root exposure is evident. A vet check up is required as only with a dental procedure (descale and polish and possibly an extraction) this will be resolved.

Hi there! You and Sam just made this dental residents day with your question! It is unlikely that enamel came off with the calculus/tartar (they are the same thing), but not impossible. He could have also have an enamel defect that has been there and went unnoticed due to calculus build up. What we in the world of veterinary dentistry call a COHAT (complete oral health assessment and treatment needs to be preformed in order to the full picture of what is going on. It could be a problem with the enamel, but is 92% of the time indicative of a dead tooth. The only way to diagnose this properly is to have full mouth x-rays of the teeth and each tooth checked for pockets around the gums, movement, etc. Because Sam is a small breed dog he is genetically prone to periodontal disease, making even more important that he have his teeth evaluated on an annual basis, ideally by a board-certified veterinary dentist. Bad breath is also an indication that something not good is going on in the mouth. Despite popular belief animals should not have bad breath. I'm sure i've overloaded you with information, hopefully helpful information. Bottom line I would definitely consider having Sam's teeth evaluated sooner rather than later. You just want to be sure that who ever is doing the evaluation and treatment is qualified and has had the proper training.

Tartar buildup on a dog’s teeth is very common. The best way to prevent it is by brushing their teeth daily, usually in the evenings after their last meal. In most cases, unless the pulp cavity (the inner, live part of the tooth) or the crown (the whitish part of the tooth you can see) is damaged there is no need to remove the tooth. With a good dental cleaning (that must be done under general anesthesia) the tartar can be removed and the tooth polished so that the tooth can remain with the dog. If you are going to have a dental performed on your dog ask the veterinarian about performing dental x-rays. This will help determine the viability of the tooth. Once the x-rays are performed the veterinarian can make a better decision on whether or not the tooth needs to be removed. If tartar on the tooth is the only issue, there is no discoloration, cracks or fractures, or anything abnormal about the tooth, your dog will likely be able to keep the tooth. Pricing of dental cleanings very from clinic to clinic. Once you have your initial consultation with your veterinarian they should be able to provide you with an estimate. In the States a typical dental cleaning, depending on the size of dog and the problems present, can be anywhere from $300-$1000. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Please let us know if you have any further questions. Best of luck.