Is your dog’s broken tooth a big problem? Much depends on the situation. In some cases, the remnant of a damaged tooth needs to be extracted, but it is not necessary for every situation. I also want to tell you when your dog can break a tooth.
If your dog breaks a tooth, make sure it isn’t sharp enough to cut his gums while eating or playing daily. Watch for any inflammation in your dog’s mouth resulting from this event. If you notice any worrisome signs, see a canine dentist. A broken tooth may need to be extracted.
What you will learn from this article:
- Breakage of a milk tooth can be problematic for a puppy
- A broken tooth in a dog does not always have to be extracted
- A dog can chip a tooth while eating or playing
What if your dog broke a tooth
Raising a dog is a real challenge. On your way, you will encounter situations you may not have known about when you took care of a small quadruped. Even though it seemed to me that I was very prepared for the appearance of a dog in my life, there were situations on our way together that completely surprised me.
One of those unforeseen moments in my life with the dog, which I did not expect, was the day when he broke his tooth. I didn’t think dogs could break a tooth in such an easy and accidental way. I wasn’t prepared for this situation and didn’t know what to do.
Therefore, wanting to spare you the stress I experienced myself then, I want to tell you how you should behave in such a situation. It is essential to act thoughtfully and react quickly. Otherwise, a broken tooth can harm your dog’s health.
What to do if your puppy breaks a tooth
As you probably know, puppies, like humans, have milk teeth in the first stage of their lives. In our case, their place is replaced by permanent teeth as we grow up. However, if you want to learn more about your dog’s milk teeth, I refer you to my other post, which you can find HERE.
It would seem that tooth fracture is not as severe as in the case of a permanent tooth. After all, the baby will fall out sooner or later, so the problem will sort itself out. Unfortunately, nothing more wrong.
A broken milk tooth can also be bad for your dog. First, check if the tooth has been chipped so that its sharp edges can hurt the mouth.
As soon as you notice such a possibility, it would help if you immediately visit a veterinarian who will direct you to the appropriate specialist. You can also go straight to the doctor who deals with canine teeth. If a broken baby tooth does not interfere with your puppy’s daily life in any way, you can wait until it falls out on its own.
The puppy broke the milk fang
The situation becomes more serious when your pet chipped a fang. Unfortunately, there is a high probability that inflammation may occur due to this fracture. You will certainly be able to assess that something disturbing is happening to your pet.
Breakage of the canine fang can cause swelling in the dog’s mouth, significantly weakening his appetite and general well-being. Although it is only a milk tooth, it will likely have to be extracted in such cases.
Unfortunately, my pet had this unpleasant situation during his puppy period. One day I noticed that the right part of his mouth was very swollen. Interestingly, it happened in one day. At first, I thought it might be an allergic reaction. I didn’t connect it to the broken fang that had chipped off a few days earlier.
During a visit to the vet, it turned out that the cause of the dog’s swelling was a broken milk canine. He extracted the tooth in a quick operation. It didn’t last long, and fortunately, there were no complications. My pup recovered very quickly.
In place of the extracted milk tooth, my dog has a beautiful, permanent fang today.
Broken tooth in an adult dog
For an adult dog, a broken tooth is a more serious matter. First, we are not talking about milk teeth here but about the permanent teeth of a dog. In place of the one that has been broken or chipped, a new one will not grow. Therefore, the approach to this situation is different.
First, as soon as you notice that your four-legged friend has broken his tooth, try to keep him under constant observation. As soon as you see his behaviour changes, he has no appetite, loss of well-being or swelling around the muzzle; you should consult a veterinarian.
When your dog’s tooth breaks, make sure it doesn’t hurt the inside of your dog’s mouth. To do this, you can run your fingertip over the tooth. In the event of sharp edges, you will undoubtedly be able to feel it.
However, if you do not know how to convince your dog to show you his teeth without unnecessary protests, I refer you to the entry that you will find HERE. In it, he explains how you can teach your dog to respond to the show teeth command.
Dog bowl |SOLO CERAMIC grey
Should a broken dog tooth be extracted?
If your dog breaks his permanent tooth, it doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to be extracted. Of course, when such an event leads to inflammation in the dog’s mouth, the situation looks completely different. Then, unfortunately, removing the dog may be the only way to solve this problem.
However, if there are no disturbing symptoms after your dog chipped his tooth, the extraction may not be necessary. If a tooth breaks off in such a way that parts of it hurt the dog’s gum, the canine dentist’s task will be to sand the sharp edges.
Extraction of a dog’s permanent tooth is a last resort. If the dog specialist has such an opportunity, he will try to prevent it. Remember that your dog’s teeth are essential when eating. The dog uses them to divide the bites into smaller parts if he can chew them whole.
Missing a tooth can make it very difficult for a dog to eat, especially if it plays a significant role in your dog’s teeth, such as a fang. Therefore, if your dog’s health does not require it, a broken tooth will not need to be selected.
Why do dogs break their teeth?
A broken tooth is no fun for your canine. Therefore, if possible, it is better to ensure such a situation does not occur. That’s why it’s good for you to know the moments when quadrupeds most often break their teeth. Such knowledge will allow you to reduce your pet’s tooth breakage to some extent.
Tough dog food
One of the most common causes of tooth breakage in a dog is too hard food. That mainly applies to dog treats, which can sometimes have a very compact and robust structure.
Some dogs have extremely brittle teeth. That is most common in senior dogs because their teeth become less intense as they age.
Therefore, if you know your dog’s teeth are not very strong, choose a new food for him carefully. Manufacturers usually put information on the packaging for what type of dogs it is recommended for. You can buy food intended for older dogs, and then you can be sure that it will not be too hard for your dog.
Very chaotic fun
Unfortunately, a dog can break a tooth while playing. When dogs wrestle, trying to take away a toy held in their mouth, it may crumble under pressure and pulling of the dog’s frogs.
This situation can occur primarily when dogs of very different strengths play with each other. If a large pet pulls too hard on a toy in the small’s mouth, it can damage his tooth.
The dog broke a tooth
I remember how stressful it was to break a tooth with my pet. Then, unfortunately, I did not yet have the knowledge that I have now and that I am sharing with you.
Has your dog ever broken a tooth in his life? If so, what were the consequences for him?
If you have any questions or want me to discuss a topic in the next post, share it in the comments section.
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