My dog's fang is broken. Is the removal surgery complicated?

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! As with any medical procedure, complications can occur but when the appropriate precautions and techniques are used complications become much less likely. To make things as safe as possible your veterinarian may do pre-op blood work prior to anesthesia. An IV catheter should be placed and the dental is performed under full anesthesia with an endotracheal tube in place. Dental X-rays are recommended to ensure teeth can be extracted as safely as possible. Post operative pain medications should be used after an extraction. If Benji needs any tooth extractions, it is likely if proper steps are taken everything will go smoothly. And Benji will be much happier when any broken or infected teeth are removed.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If the entire canine has been avulsed ("knocked out"), it should NOT be re-implanted as it almost certainly is no longer viable and the periodontal ligament (the tissue responsible for holding the tooth in the bone of the jaw) is certainly not in tact. The tooth should be removed and the hole closed. Best of luck to you and Sadie!

This is a common problem so X-rays are not needed. These upper molars have three roots and can be difficult to remove. Your veterinarian is mentioning that he is aware of this. He should be fine extracting the tooth. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Emmy.

If the tooth is barely hanging and the gum is damaged at this location, it will be easier and cheaper to just have the tooth removed, it will require general anesthesia but it will be very quick and should not cost much either.

If the root is exposed, then yes the tooth has to be removed. Okanee is a good weight (21 pounds) and 12 weeks isn't too young for needed surgery. I'd recommend getting it done, an exposed root will be painful to her.

Hello, thank you for your question about Fly. If the pulp (or sensitive nerve portion) of the tooth is exposed having the tooth extracted is the best treatment option. Pulp exposure can lead to pain and also serve as a source of infection leading to further complications down the line. Dental surgery is a fairly routine procedure that most veterinarians are very comfortable with. In most cases a pre-operative workup is performed to ensure that Fly is a good candidate for general anesthesia. During the procedure the canine would be extracted and all of his other teeth could be cleaned of tartar. If he is otherwise healthy with no prior medical history there is no reason to think that he would not tolerate this procedure. Hope this helps, good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. So this is a “complicated” fracture of the canine- meaning the pulp cavity is exposed. Unfortunately, if Titus walked into my office, I’d recommend scheduling a dental and removing the tooth. Once the pulp cavity is exposed, bacteria can travel up it and cause a deep abscess in the bone. Then you have weeks of antibiotics and still have to do the procedure. This does not always happen, but there is no way to know which case it will happen to. The other option is seeing a dental specialist for a root canal and crown. That being said, it’s not very painful unless he is chewing with it (which he’ll probably avoid). And not much is going to happen in the next two days, or even in the next two months. Don’t put anything on there and just leave it alone. Schedule an appointment when it’s convenient and talk with your vet about your options. Also talk about why he is chewing his crate (often a sign of moderate to severe separation anxiety). And how to prevent future damage to other teeth. Best wishes to you and Titus!