Another broken tooth

[Nichole]

I wish I would quit looking in this dog's mouth. She such a hard chewer, no respect for her body and that includes her mouth. I've had a bad gut feeling since yesterday about her mouth so I randomly checked it before going to bed tonight. Top upper left molar has a bad break in it. You can visibly see the break in the pic. That whole large piece is broken away from the tooth and is held by the gums. It moves when I touch it. Damn that must hurt like a you know what.

Sigh.

I gave her a pain killer left over from their ER visit last month. Back to the vet tomorrow we go.

[Murfins]

Ouch. Our dog, Jordie, broke that very same tooth from chewing. I get nervous with any surgery, even a simple extraction, and I'm sure she'll be fine but good thoughts anyway.

[Nichole]

After looking it up, looks like it is a slab fracture, much like this one. ouch ouch ouch.
http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/dogdiseasesconditions/ss/SlabFxDental.htm

makes me want to cry for her.

[Murfins]

That's what it was called - slab fracture. Jordie had his removed in 2 or 3 pieces and of course now he has a huge hole in his mouth/teeth and when he breathes his cheek puffs in and out because of it. It was 4 or 5 years ago but it doesn't stand out in my head as a surgery that had a difficult or unusual recovery ... still, not something you look forward to having done.

[heartbullies]

Same here. Giant deep slab fracture, same tooth, same side, basically halved. Yeouch. I flushed the chasm with warm saline, between when I discovered it and when the surgery could be scheduled, to keep infection and debris at bay.

I won't tell you how much I paid for the dental with a 3-root tooth extraction (B is probably almost twice her weight) but yeah, the carnassial teeth are a b$#@*.

It wasn't too bad for him to recuperate from-- he was supposed to eat soft food for 14 days but the nut was crunching on illicit sticks and dog toys with his sutures and everything so I don't think it was terribly painful (he did have meds).

Good luck!





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[HappyPuppy]

Poor baby girl!!! That's why I was surprised that ball in your other thread lasted so well. And I thought it was bad that all of Ruby's teeth are worn flat... I just noticed I have a vertical crack in one of my front teeth ..... and now I'm scared it's going to split like that! How could that not hurt like a bear and how could that bully stoic-ness be so effective?!?!?!?

[Nichole]

vet saw it, confirmed slab fracture, and referred me to the dentists to talk root canal vs extraction.

[AllisonPibbleLvr]

i vote extraction.

[Nichole]

This is probably my little hang up, but I want her to keep her teeth. sigh. I'll be sad if it goes.

[HappyPuppy]

I wouldn't want a crumbling piece left in there... why would you care about her keeping all of her teeth?

[Nichole]

Well that's where the dentist comes in. Her teeth aren't what I would call crumbling, no tartar, gum disease, etc. But she does have a broken tooth from chewing. So if the dentist thinks it should work, I'll go with it. If they get in there and decide it's not worth it, they'll pull it. That's my thought process going in. We'll see if I change my mind after talking to them.

I'm pretty sure most tough raw bones will be off the table if they fix the tooth vs pulling it, and that is something I also have to take into account.

[MarMar]

Ouchie...my GSD is very hard on her teeth, like Sadie, no respect for her teefies. Last year at about this time she broke 3 teeth and had two dental procedures within a few weeks of each other. Could your vet tell if there was any pulp exposed? I was lucky with Becky, she had a slab fracture BUT the vet dentist was able to repair it with a type of epoxy and she did not have to have it pulled or a root canal. Then she split two of her bottom incisors open and had to have them pulled. Ugh. If you can afford it I would consider a root canal, just personally.

Becky is no longer allowed hard plastic work to eat toys (I'm pretty sure that's how she broke her incisors) or large hard bones (pretty sure that's how the carnassial fractured) BUT she can eat turkey necks, pork hocks and lamb bones. Pork hocks with skin on especially are a big hit.

[Nichole]

The vet barely did an exam. Looked, said "yep, slab fracture" and gave me the number to the dentist. We talked a little about pull vs crown. She said if it were her she'd have it crowned. She's young, teeth are healthy, etc. So no, she didnt confirm if pulp was exposed. Sadie has been chirping and begging for a bone all day. It's been hard to deny her some of her favorite goodies.

I'll ask a dentist if frozen necks and backs would be too much. I freeze her dinners just to slow her own a little. We feed mainly pre-made ground meals and freezing it also gives some resistance which i think helps with cleaning teeth, like bones. I'm hoping they wont frown on that, but many vets frown on raw diets in general, so who knows.

Called the dentist. Closed till monday. great.

Looking at this face you'd never know she has a broken tooth in that mouth. I have her on pain meds just in case she's in pain. She sure as hell doesn't act like it.

[heartbullies]

Aw. I hope the tooth can be preserved-- I was really sad about having B's extracted, but it literally was halved, the vet couldn't book the operation until the 3rd day and the dentist (and yes, he has been to the dental specialist now THREE times) would have been day five or six!

However, he has done really well and will still chew on things, not as hard though; he self limits and NEVER did that before which is why he used to crack open the Primal femurs stuff. Now he doesn't do that but will chew on them like a normal dog, still will tug and fetch with the same gusto. Hopefully that makes you feel a little better?

Good luck!

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[Misskiwi67]

My pup has a minor slab fracture that did not require extraction... your pups tooth looks like it will need treated, I'm fairly confident I see some pulp exposure in the middle there. I wouldn't be surprised if a root canal is an option. Its an expensive option, but an option.

The "slab" part of the slab seems lateral enough, I'm giving this one some hope. It really depends on how deep the crack is in the front there... Looking forward to the update from the dentist, and jealous you have access to one!