Bad tooth, what do you think?

[MissKitty]

Because Apollo's bites were off at SchH practice (they are always a little wonky) my trainer asked if I had had his teeth looked over carefully.
After poking around I found that Apollo has 'bad' tooth. His far back molar (the tiny one that is almost impossible to see) is heavily coated in plaque and looks black-ish when I look into his mouth when he yawns, his breath is also bad. I think the tooth may be 'dead'.

So I went to the vet today, she looked at it. Stated that it had a lot of plaque and said that we could pull it but would rather wait and see if it falls out in the next 6 months (because the root is so short).

This seems off to me, I am calling around trying to find another vet for a second opinion. Any thoughts? Would that be a normal route for something like this?

And unless it I can get a vet to say the cause of this was an accident, Apollo's insurance won't pay for it

[PITtsburgher]

I wouldn't leave it in. If it's infected or gets infected that can spread to the bone or to other teeth. I think a second opinion is a good idea.

[AllisonPibbleLvr]

I agree.
Our clinic would never suggest leaving a tooth until it rots out.

I'd too get a second opinion.

[Celesteandthebullies]

Both of yuh, I agree.

[Red]

Jack craked a tooth last week, incisor on the top. Clean gum around it, dog chews toys and bones, vet saw no signs of infections and suggested to monitor closely and remove if things change. After I figure out and deal with Tux's latest health problem that tooth is coming out, no point risking an infection.

[MissKitty]

Thank you everyone, we are for sure going in for a second opinion. I got good references from some dog friends and will be calling that vet in the morning.

I am glad to hear I am not alone in thinking the 'just leave it' idea seemed like a bad one.

[MissKitty]

I have an appointment at 3:10 today with another vet, he is about an hour away but came highly recommended, especially for dental problems. Hopefully this will help clear things up and if I like him, I may end up switching over.

[AllisonPibbleLvr]

Good luck!!!

[Misskiwi67]

The appropriate recommendation would have been - we should perform a full dental exam under anesthesia and perform dental radiographs to determine if there is a problem with the tooth or not.

If your new vet doesn't routinely perform full dental radiographs on every pet during their dental cleaning, they probably aren't performing up to standard of care either.

[MissKitty]

The appropriate recommendation would have been - we should perform a full dental exam under anesthesia and perform dental radiographs to determine if there is a problem with the tooth or not.

If your new vet doesn't routinely perform full dental radiographs on every pet during their dental cleaning, they probably aren't performing up to standard of care either.

And funny thing, that is EXACTLY what this new vet recommended. She (I though she was a he) said she can tell there is something wrong, can tell it is uncomfortable for him, can guess what it could be, but she needs to put him under, take an X-Ray and probe the area before she can tell me what route I should take.
So I am setting up an appointment and they are going to take an X-Ray, go in and in the best case scenario scale off the tartar, clean the other teeth and it will return to normal, worst case (barring some unforeseen circumstances) would be extraction.

She said his lymph nodes feel normal, his other teeth/gums look great and she thinks the tooth is still alive because it is white (instead of purple-ish), but that doesn't mean it is savable.

It will range from $467-677 depending on what needs to be done, but I feel comfortable with them and the tooth is not going to get better on its own. I was also very happy that she explained everything in extreme detail and took a lot of time, over 45 minutes, answering my questions.

[mommy2kane]

I'd have it pulled. We discovered a cracked molar a few months ago on my youngest dog. Our vet had us bring him in the next morning for an extraction. During the surgery, she did call to say it *could* be saved with a root canal and she just wanted to make sure we knew our options. Granted, we went ahead and just had it pulled. He was on ground raw for a few weeks to ensure all healed well (and she inserted some bone graft or something like that to help) and after that, all was well! He's completely adjusted. But I couldn't imagine just leaving it ...

[Misskiwi67]

And funny thing, that is EXACTLY what this new vet recommended. She (I though she was a he) said she can tell there is something wrong, can tell it is uncomfortable for him, can guess what it could be, but she needs to put him under, take an X-Ray and probe the area before she can tell me what route I should take.
So I am setting up an appointment and they are going to take an X-Ray, go in and in the best case scenario scale off the tartar, clean the other teeth and it will return to normal, worst case (barring some unforeseen circumstances) would be extraction.

She said his lymph nodes feel normal, his other teeth/gums look great and she thinks the tooth is still alive because it is white (instead of purple-ish), but that doesn't mean it is savable.

It will range from $467-677 depending on what needs to be done, but I feel comfortable with them and the tooth is not going to get better on its own. I was also very happy that she explained everything in extreme detail and took a lot of time, over 45 minutes, answering my questions.

Sounds like you found a new vet!! Sounds wonderful to me!

[MissKitty]

Sounds like you found a new vet!! Sounds wonderful to me!

Yes! I am so happy with her, I just wish I had found her sooner.

[bmore_girl]

on a side note, i am glad my vet isn't the only one charging 400$ and up for dental work.

[heartbullies]

That's awesome and so reassuring! It's so nice to find a good practitioner you feel comfortable with, whether for you or for your dog.

The price is great, too. The quotes from vets I trusted here for cleaning and extraction were almost double through triple that range.

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