Dodgy pooch tooth

The importance of checking your dogs teeth.

GRRRR TOUGH TEETH: The importance of caring for your dog's teeth. Picture: Fox on Unsplash

Question - I noticed one of my dog's molars at the back of his mouth has a crack down the middle. He doesn't have bad breath, is it okay to leave a tooth like this?

Answer - The short answer is no.

A crack along the centre of a tooth may not be a problem at all or it could be extremely uncomfortable resulting in continual pain for your pet.

It is always best to have a trusted competent veterinarian examine the tooth to determine if a problem exists.

Not every fracture will result in bad breath. Not every crack you see is actually a crack either.

What you are smelling, with bad breath, is infection which has progressed so far, parts of the gum and surrounding bone have died and are rotting.

This sort of change in the mouth is not only extremely painful but often life threatening.

It would be sensible to look at a radiograph of the tooth from several views to establish if there is a problem. This will be done under a general anaesthetic.

If the radiograph indicates there is a fracture, extraction is usually indicated.

Fractures often penetrate into the pulp, this is very painful, bacteria penetrate the fracture and cause inflammation and infection of the pulp leading to abscessation.

Certain types of injury will require the use of long-lasting antibiotics and continued pain relief following extraction.

Teeth are often overlooked in pets and are a frequent source of pain and discomfort.

Saying your pets teeth are fine because they are still eating is dubious at least or absolutely careless at worst.

Consider for a moment, how much pain would your pet need to be in before they decide the pain is so bad they would rather starve to death?