Fractured Teeth
Broken or fractured teeth are a common finding in dogs and cats. Fractures can occur when pets chew on hard items, play or fight with another animal, fall from heights, or suffer blunt-force trauma. Fractured teeth with pulp exposure will lose vitality and can abscess. This painful process may not be visible without diagnostic imaging. Any mature tooth with pulp exposure should be treated with root canal therapy or surgical extraction before it has a chance to abscess. Fractured deciduous (baby teeth) with pulp exposure should be extracted to prevent damage to the underlying adult tooth.
All fractured teeth should be evaluated with diagnostic imaging to determine the best treatment option for the tooth. Fractured teeth can be painful, and the pulp may die even without direct pulp exposure. Many of the owners that bring their pets to us with fractured teeth do not realize how painful their pets were until after we provide treatment.