We took Sam to the Vets this afternoon as he had had explosive diarrhoea in the night , again . He is a shocking scavenger , this is something I am going to have to address before much longer . In true fashion , he did an almost normal offering an hour before his appointment but we decided to take him along just to play safe as he was desperately ill with a massive bacterial infection back in September . So , having given his tummy the all clear and us feeling like paranoid parents , the Vet decided to check him over and just as she was declaring him to be looking great , she found a broken canine . I was mortified that I hadn't noticed it as it is slightly discoloured which I guess means that the nerve is dead . I brushed his teeth only last week , so its a recent break, just the tip of the tooth . Vet says its not hurting as he didn't flinch when she touched it , he is eating just fine ( whats new ? ) but it will most likely have to come out in the New Year . Has anyone elses dog had this ? I am dreading it as Sam reacts terribly to general anaesthetic , cries for hours but I guess there is no alternative , poor lad and he has lovely teeth too
All four of Scooby's canines were broken, but he definitely wasn't any pain with it. When we took him for a health check, the vet just looked and said it's fine. He had a terrible penchant for stones. Large stones. I think that's what broke his teeth. They didn't look very nice though. Triple check with the vet whether it is really necessary to put him through a GA.
Poor Sam, hope he's feeling better soon. At least the tooth isn't bothering him at the moment which at least is a positive. Does he have to have GA for an extraction or can they just sedate him.
That's no good. But, I'm sorry to say, believe me, if the enamel is gone and especially if the pulp is exposed it will most likely be hurting. Discoloration doesn't mean that the nerve has died (nerve death does happen but it takes time...it stops hurting then but will most likely go on to form an abcess which will be hugely painful again). Dogs with broken teeth are just very good at hiding the pain. I have some experience of broken and chipped doggie teeth and I can say that normal vets often know very little about animal dentistry. Please, do not automatically believe your vet if they say that a recently broken tooth does not hurt. The dog (or cat) won't necessarily visibly react when the tooth is touched but if recent it probably does hurt (studies have been done on cats where broken teeth are touched under a general anaesthetic and all the physiological stress reactions shoot up, even though the same cat showed no visible reaction when the tooth was touched while conscious. I don't have a ref for this - the source is our vet dentist). If you can find a veterinary dentist they will be able to do a root canal and then fill and seal the tooth, which should last for life (if only the tip is gone). Or, if you get to it soon enough and the pulp is alive enough the vet dentist might be able to cap it. I'm sorry that this has happened to Sam. He will very likely be able to keep the tooth if you get onto a vet dentist. You can locate and make the contact yourself with the vet dentist and then ask the vet to refer on if they don't have established contacts with dental specialists.
Also, it is not the case that a broken tooth can simply be left (even if the nerve has died). Bacteria will get in an an abcess is the next stop on the road. A broken tooth must be either extracted or fixed (sealed, filled, or root canal) - it cannot be left. Humans can often get away with doing nothing with a chipped tooth but that is because the enamel layer on our teeth is really, really thick compared to dogs. A chip on a human tooth may not reach past the protective enamel layer. Dog enamel is extremely thin (can be 0.1mm) and any chip is likely to expose the sensitive dentine underneath. That causes pain and provides an entry point for bacteria (because dentine is porous and made of little tubules that conduct pressure messages to the nerve). If any vet says to 'just leave' a broken or chipped tooth this is just not ok. Kate, at least your vet is knowledgable enough to recognise that there is a need for action. But hopefully not an extraction! And, yes, any invasive dental work needs a GA.
Good info from above dental vets on root canals here: http://www.newforest-vetdentist.co.uk/root-canal-treatment.php ....and on fractured teeth here: http://www.newforest-vetdentist.co.uk/fractured-teeth.php ...and here: http://www.newforest-vetdentist.co.uk/resources/Focus on tooth trauma.pdf
Totally agree with the above. Apart from all other considerations, removing a canine tooth from a young healthy Labrador is a pretty major job - the roots are longer than the crown and covered by bone - and I would personally try and see a dentist with a view to conserving the tooth and leaving it pain-free if at all possible.
Thanks for all the advice , very helpful indeed . I will have a chat with our Vet after the holidays and discuss the best way to go . I am certainly not happy at the thought of leaving it in situ as it is , so will start investigating straight away , thank you x
Have just found a canine dentist not too far from us in Newquay , so will ask for a referral , thank you again .
Thanks so much , I have now made an appointment for next Wednesday with our Vet to arrange a referral, feeling much better now , Sam deserves the best, but then , don't all our dogs ? x
Great Just make sure they're veterinary dental specialists with postgrad training in dentistry and routinely do root canals and other advanced treatments. Don't hesitate to ask about their quals, experience and equipment if you want to. Yes, our lovely doggies do all deserve the best we're able to offer them (I think they deserve the kind of modern medical treatment we'd want for ourselves)
Poor lovely Sam Great that you are seeing a specialist Kate, that will put your mind at ease. Lots of cuddles to you and Sam from us. xxxx
They have carried out root canal on Police dogs Rachael , plus others too so am quite happy with the testimonials , thanks again all xx
Poor Sam, will soon be better though. On a more flippant note, I used to work for a vet many moons ago and he used to take difficult cases to the human dentist. No such things as specialist dog dentistry in those days!
