Dentistry

[TheStacks]

I have recently noticed some brown areas on Zoey's back teeth. So I inspected her mouth more closely and noticed that her canine teeth also were flat, not pointy, with just the very tip missing. So off to the vet we went today. He said it is only enamel that is broken, and not the pulp and she will also need her teeth cleaned. So he referred us to a canine dentist. We go next Thursday. That should break the bank! The vet thinks because Zoey was so sick the first 3 1/2 to 4 months before we got her, it is likely her tooth development was affected. I have started brushing her teeth daily. Anyone have experience with tooth repairs? Am I gonna need to rob a bank to take care of this I have been researching and it seems from the vet's description that we will not need a crown, but a restoration. We shall see. Unfortunately, she is only 1 year old and will need these for a long time to come.

 

Any experience or knowledge in this area would be appreciated and help when I am at the dentist with her.

 

Thanks!

 

Lauren & Zoey

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Wow, that's young to need dental work. I had a geratric dog with bad dental problems - I started feeding him very soft or ground bones and meat (mostly chicken necks for the bones) and the problems cleared up.

 

You're right, dental work is horrendously expensive.

 

I wonder about the enamel chip - I've had dogs get their teeth chipped like this working (though not at one year old!) and it doesn't seem to create an ongoing problem. Don, in fact, had a canine tooth chipped this year - at his checkup last week the vet said it wasn't a problem and recommended no action. Maybe I'm not understanding the problem correctly?

[TheStacks]

Just the very sharp tip is missing on 3 canine teeth. So when you look at them, you see a slightly pointy structure in the middle (dentin and pulp) and a surrounding layer (enamel). I think the vet wants to have a dentistry consult because she is so young. He did not see it as an emergency, but if it reaches the pulp we are talking way more of an expense. He blamed her poor genetics and rough start to life.

 

I am hoping a small precautionary measure can be taken with routine follow-up to monitor. I just don't want it to develop into a major problem down the road. At least not until I graduate and have an income

 

After reading about Don, I am hoping a similar course of action can be taken. From my research there are some strenthing agents they can use that will have to be redone periodically but they may help since it is not a huge area.

[MaggieDog]

My girl has chipped her canines on bones and our vet doesn't seem to think this warrants additional attention since it doesn't seem to be sensitive for her. I might get a second opinion if I were you.

 

For just routine cleaning and one extraction, I think we paid about $150 without the blood screening before hand since she'd been tested recently. The regular vet did the procedure.

[SoloRiver]

If it isn't into the pulp it isn't an immediate emergency, but given that she's so young and her teeth are already worn it's probably going to happen eventually. I don't know much about preventive measures in these sorts of cases. Solo's had two root canals (a search will probably come up with those lengthy discussions) but both occurred after bad tooth breaks. They were very expensive, but not enough for me to cheap out over it. Altogether, I paid about $600 more than I would have if I'd just had those two teeth pulled. Solo is a young, healthy dog, and the broken teeth are functionally and structurally important (maxillary canine and premolar/carnassial) so I wanted him to keep them.

 

A lot of dogs break teeth, expose pulp, and their owners don't treat them and everything seems to be OK. On the other hand, a lot of dogs break teeth, their owners don't treat them, and the dog ends up with a huge abscess a year or two down the road. You can roll the dice if you like, personally, I chose not to. Solo's got enough issues without a giant infection in his sinuses. Dental abscesses are no joke, either.

 

Poor nutrition and stresses while developing absolutely do affect teeth. I think part of the reason Solo's broken two teeth is that he too had a shitty beginning, and upbringing.

[BigD]

It turns out that Buddy has a chipped tooth (which I knew about) with the root exposed - which I didn't know about.

 

I found that out two days ago when I brought him in to the vet to stitch up a nasty gash under his eye. He'd just been in about 3 months earlier for his exam. Well, they found this tooth (back tooth that is flat) and told me the pulp is exposed.

 

Honestly folks, this dog could have had that since we rescued him 4 years ago! Who knows! There is no sign of pain, or strange chewing, etc.

 

I do have experience with a root canal on a canine on an 18 month old pup. One thing I was told is that they don't like to do major dental work on such young dogs because the teeth/enamal/etc is still growing and forming.

 

Also, be careful on the pushing of dental services. I think it's important to have clean teeth but I also think it's easy for some vets to "suggest" that it's needed in order to make some extra cash. It's not a simple procedure and it can be risky for the dog as they are put under.

 

Get a 2nd opinion before you have any work done.

 

Denise

[Wendy V]

Howdy,

 

I gotta reply to this post, since I just paid $350 for a tooth extraction and enamal sealing by a dental specialist for my 10 yo dog. And also paid $350 for an enamel repair on a 6 month old the week prior.

 

I can be as cheap as they come, but I have soft spot for dental troubles. An examination and possibly an x-ray by a dental specialist will determine the correct course of action for your dog, keeping in mind the age of the dog and the relative importance of the affected tooth. For a young dog, a primary molar is worth the extra expense to repair vs. the little front teeth, which are mostly cosmetic. A specialist will help you determine the damage to the tooth and present you with options. As for cleaning and/or daily brushing, this requires only to feed a raw bone on occassion to the dog. Cheap and no effort on my part. It also brings much pleasure to the dog.

 

Good luck to you,

 

Wendy V

[AK dog doc]

Bad mouths hurt, so getting them fixed up is a great idea. Certain kinds of infections and both genetic and nurtitional diesases can lead to enamel dyscrazias that can either be a failure of the enamel to form correctly on a gross level (as in either it is discolored or absent), or on an inapparant level (as in the enamel appears normal but has poor integrity, and fractures or otherwise breaks down easily.) Dogs can do without their teeth if they have to, but it's much better for them to have teeth if possible. It is true that some teeth are more important than others. Personally, in my circumstances, I probably would not pay $500 to save an incisor, but I would (and have) to save a canine or a carnasial tooth.

 

We see a ton of sled dogs who have all kinds of chips and cracks and so on, and some of them, similar to Rebecca's dog, seem completely unfazed by it - these are hardworking athletes and if they had painful mouths they would not be competitive, so that in itself suggests their mouths do not trouble them. However, they usually don't have these problems in puppyhood, and the fact that your dog has developed these things so early suggests that, without attention, she might be one of the ones who progresses to worse things down the line. Of course, some dogs have what appear to be identical injuries and are QUITE troubled by them, so every dog is different. And in some cases some of the "innocent" seeming tooth damage does in fact progress to dental abscessation and other problems. Some doesn't.

 

Everyone's circumstances are different; you have the opportunity to see a veterinary dentist, which is ideal. I applaud your thinking on this - that this is a young dog who a) needs teeth for many years to come and has something unusual going on - so seeing a specialist is an excellent idea. They'll be best able to advise you about this unusual case. If it were just a small chip it might be no big deal, but to me it sounds like it's something different. JMO.

[TheStacks]

Thanks for all the advice. I appreciate it. I plan to see the dentist on Thursday. I will let you know what happens. Fingers crossed.

 

Lauren

[TheStacks]

Well we saw the dentist today and he said we should just monitor her. He believes that her partially deflated basketball that she catches and fetches for hours a day is to blame. After seeing the wear pattern, he asked if she played with a basketball or soccer ball with some of the air let out. So he could tell just by looking at the teeth. He did not think any measures were warranted right now. Obviously we will take away the source of the problem and just watch to see if nothing progresses further. He will see her back in 3 months to see how things are. He did mentioned that I could have stainless steel crowns put on and she could play with whatever she wanted, for $3000 :eek: .

 

So I will just have to switch her toys. I have a rubber ball that is the size of a basketball with holes (hollow in the middle)so I will just have to get her turned on to that. She will not fetch if you throw and will not go for smaller balls except inside. So I am going to investigate some of the the Aussie dog toys as possibilities. She needs something that she can pick up but won't rub the tips of her teeth constantly and that she cannot chomp on. She liked to retrieve the basketball and chew on it like a maniac before the next kick. That repetive chewing is most likely the large part of the problem. Ideas and suggestions are welcome for new toys or how to successfully change games!

 

Thanks!

 

Lauren and Zoey

[Eileen Stein]

Stay away from tennis balls, but you probably know this already. When you first posted that your dog's canines were flat, I almost asked if he played with tennis balls.

 

A lacrosse ball is a good substitute for a tennis ball, but if he ignores small balls outside, what about a holey roller? Put a smaller ball inside and they're doubly attractive, and the pup tends to poke his nose through the holes trying to get at the little ball rather than chewing on it.

[laurie etc]

if Zoey likes to chew and retrieve - I'd try one of the soft black rubber milking machine inflators- with a rope laced through it. You can hurl it pretty far, and when the dog retrieves it, it is chewing with the molars, not the incisors. A friend who had a ball-fanatic dog with severe dental infection problems used one for years, without further damage to his teeth.

 

edited to say:clean run calls them "Moo Tugs" but I think you can get the inflators at a farm supply and attached your own rope.

http://cleanrun.com/category.cfm?Category=...FTOKEN=22945016

[juliepoudrier]

If you want a variety of "udder toys" to choose from try the "Helping Udders" website:

 

http://www.helpingudders.com/Shop.htm

 

I've never actually bought anything from them, but bookmarked the site some time ago as a potential source for good toys.

 

J.

[SoloRiver]

Helping Udders is great. I have one of the Pocket Tugs for Solo, and Skeeter has the tiny dog toy. It is his absolute favorite toy. The smell seems to interest dogs a great deal (I can't smell anything but rubber, but these are used inflators which makes them, um, special to dogs). Some of the proceeds from this site go to the rescue of your choice.

 

Another option might be large plush balls. That way it would be the same size, and roll, but would be soft to grab.