Dog owner newbie question: my lab broke the tip off his lower canine tooth over the holiday

[peacebird]

Do I need to take him to the vet?

[NYC_SKP]

1. Old dog or puppy?

If under four or five months old, this might be a puppy tooth.

If a puppy tooth, no problem.

If an adult tooth, nothing you can do unless it's broken off way close to the gum line, in which case it could become infected and painful.

Let us know what you do...

[Gidney N Cloyd]

4. If it were my lab I'd call my vet and ask him

Though I've got a better relationship with my vet than my regular Dr. so maybe I'm different.

You might also post in the Pets forum and see what they say.

Good luck. Labbies are the BEST.

[NYC_SKP]

6. Indeed. There's no harm in calling.

Good vets will give a good answer for no charge, for free.

I do have experience, however, with the broken teeth and baby teeth, and the sigline puppy, Millie, had all four canines in a double mode, babies with adults, 8 teeth where you'd expect to see 4!

She still has one stubborn baby tooth hanging out and I need to take her in if it doesn't come out on it's own.

[peacebird]

16. I'll call our vet, he is a good egg, lives down the road and comes by for our old cat as she is SO

shy that public outings are too hard for her. She is a 5 pound 12 year old himalayan.... The first visit to the vet clinic she was shaking so hard that he told us he would come to our home rather than stress her out by making her come to him. He is a truly kind vet.

[MADem]

10. Well, they could pull the tooth if it has a bad crack in it.

I had a dog who got in a fight and cracked a tooth--it needed to come out.

That's not a cheap undertaking, but hey, can't have Man's Best Friend in pain with a toothache.

[peacebird]

17. Can't have my dear Jake in pain, he is such a sweet beast....

[MADem]

20. If you have any kids' teething medicine, put that on the tooth/gum every couple of hours.

Ora-gel or a genetic equivalent will probably work a bit better than sensodyne (which is certainly better than nothing).

Others have said just let the vet pull the tooth--I agree with that. No sense trying to do a root canal or whatever. Dogs tend to use their heads the way people use fists, and this kind of thing will happen on occasion. It's often that 'canine' pointed long tooth that takes the hit, because the dog will swing their head and give an enemy a big whack (or sometimes a naughty puppy will get a strong shove that way).

My dog had a crowded smile, so in no time the teeth all kind of spread out just a touch and you couldn't even notice the "blank spot." She didn't have any dental issues after that one.

[Purveyor]

2. In my experience, as long as the tip is white...it is just a chip. If you can see something like a

'core', it should be looked at.

That is my unprofessional opinion. Have had several dogs that have done that, 2 labs included, and it wasn't a problem.

Hope all is well with your pooch.

[peacebird]

8. It broke far enough down I see a brown spot in the middle.... I will take him to the vet in the morn

Jake just turned 3 and we totally adore him... He is such a lovely energetic chocolate lab pup! He is also a bit expensive, he ate an "indestructible" toy duck last fall, and didn't ""poo" for four days. Our vet said to watch him, but as long as he was eating and bouncing enthusiastically all was fine. LOL!
Fortunately he was right!

[Honeycombe8]

13. Yes, it looks like a vet visit is called for, since you see that spot.

It'll cost, but it'll cost more in teh long run if you DON'T take him now, and he'll suffer in the meantime. It could start decaying and abscess, etc.

Mine broke off part of a canine on top, of all things, when she was young. Chewed on something metal. I took her to the vet, and he said she'd be fine. But it turned dark, so I asked him again. He said it looks bad, but it's not "bad" in the sense that there's no decay or whatever. It's just damaged. Lots of dogs damage those canines. The tip didn't break off like yours, though...I didn't see any spot or anything.

Several years have past, and it has gotten worse looking, but no swelling or redness in the gums to indicate infection. Still...I may take her for a second opinion.

I read that they actually cap dog teeth these days, and such. A dog dentist opened up near me, too.

[Purveyor]

21. Yep. Brown spot indicates a pretty significant break. See your vet, better safe than sorry and

go ahead a baby the heck out of tonight!

My Riley and Chico will be sending big ole sloppy 'air kisses' in Jakes direction.

Keep us posted...

[peacebird]

22. Thank Riley and Chico for Jake and I!

[Frosty1]

3. I would

Depending on how far down it broke it could have nerve exposed which can be quite painful. I had a Chessi who broke an upper canine who ended up with a nasty infection from it. It would have been easier and cheaper to deal with it right away.

[Skittles]

7. I would too

just to have him checked out

[shintao]

5. f you can see a core, take him to the vet.

If he is in any pain, get a tube of sensodine tooth paste, apply the paste to the core & gum, rub it in.

[peacebird]

9. Thank you! I have sensodine, had not thought about it. : )

[MADem]

12. Baby teething medication will do the trick, too. Need to reapply every so often. nt

[superpatriotman]

11. A vet visit is necessary if he is in pain

Is he vomiting or whining?

If yes, take him in and have the tooth extracted. Don't let them talk you into anything else.

If no, keep close attention to the tooth to make sure it doesn't fracture further.

[peacebird]

14. I can see the brown core, and he is not his usual enthusiastic self with his cookies, but otherwise

Seems ok. I wil take him to the vet tomorrow to get it looked at.

[Major Nikon]

19. There's a good chance the tooth will have to be removed sooner or later

Might as well be sooner to spare the dog needless pain.

[superpatriotman]

25. They have a high pain threshold

So if he's not acting normal he's probably hurting.

[peacebird]

26. Jake has an appt with our vet when they open on Wednesday.

Seems likely they will pull his tooth.... Poor puppy, he sometimes has too much bounce for his own good.

Thanks all!

[zappaman]

15. Vet

You don't want it to get infected.
My lab's tooth was worn so far down, she had to have it removed.

[XemaSab]

18. Take him to the vet

but be prepared: it's major $$$urgery to have it out.

[peacebird]

23. We are soft touches, our furry friends are family so what ever it takes to keep Jake healthy

is what we will do...
We love the pup, what can I say?

[Barack_America]

24. My dog did this at some point years ago.

Probably would've taken him to the vet if I had any idea when he did it. Didn't cause him any problems at all. 13 years old and with great teeth otherwise.