Fractured Tooth

[Jumabaar]

Well we were off to the vet yesterday-

Frank had broken her deciduous Canine off, right at the base of her gumline.

I spoke to my normal, GP vet and he believed that it should be fine to be left in. I was not completely convinced so asked for a Referral to Christina Hawke- who is a Resident in Veterinary Dentistry.

That was at 11am, and Franky's tooth was removed by 4pm.

Franky had exposed her pulp cavity- she was not showing any signs of being in pain (eating etc) but Christina explained that it would be as painful as a human with an exposed nerve and dog have just learnt to hide their pain as a survival technique. So saying that they didnt seem to be bothered by it was no excuse not to remove her tooth because she was most certainly in pain!!

Furthermore there was a very high risk of infection that would damage the developing enamel on her Adult tooth- and by the time infection is seen it would already be too late. The cells creating the enamel are very delicate so she took care when removing the tooth not to perform any further trauma.

Franky had an x-ray done prior to having her tooth removed, to ensure that she only had to make one incision and she could avoid the developing adult tooth. She then did another at the end to ensure all the root had been taken out. Ever step was done with the aim of preserving her adult tooth. I am not sure how long ago she fractured it so fingers crossed we got to it in time.

Please any one who has a dog that fractures is tooth please get it seen by your local VET asap. They ARE in pain- it is cruel to leave them like that!

For more information on who to talk to about dental issues

http://www.sydneypetdentistry.com.au/

http://www.petdental.com.au/

Edited June 23, 2011 by ~Woofen~

[Rappie]

Absolutely!

Dental disease is just that - disease. It can affect a range of body systems (particularly heart and kidneys) and cause pain and discomfort. The signs can be quite subtle, and given the high percentage of dogs (and cats) that have some degree of dental / periodontal disease and show absolutely no signs, it's important that their humans keep on top of it.

dog have just learnt to hide their pain as a survival technique.

A dog or cat that chooses not to, or cannot eat due to dental disease hasn't got any other options - they need to eat to survive. The fact that they continue to eat with a festy pus filled mouth and loose teeth doesn't mean "they are fine because they eat well". I've done plenty of dentals on older dogs where they end up with very few, or no teeth and their owners notice an increase in their activity levels, appetite and general improvement in their demeanour afterwards. They make me happy - what doesn't are the cases where I might point out a single tooth, with root exposure, maybe a tiny bit loose, with some pus and recommend removing it - to have owners decline because it will fall out at some stage. We sure as heck wouldn't let that happen to ourselves

[ness]

Christina is fantastic and really nice to deal with .

[Jumabaar]

Christina is fantastic and really nice to deal with .

She really is. She even let me cuddle Franky in a quiet room while we were waiting for her pre-med to kick in so she would stay nice and relaxed= less drugs needed later.

[ness]

she offered that if I wanted to leave Kenz with her she would quite happily take her home .

[Jumabaar]

she offered that if I wanted to leave Kenz with her she would quite happily take her home .

I nearly lost Franky too!!

[ness]

Least she has good taste in dogs .