Jescano Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 I had to go overseas for a couple weeks recently and had to leave Jinx behind. I come home and he has a broken tooth. When I first got back, there was no swelling in the gums and he didn't flinch when it was touched. Now he shows guarding behavior when it's touched and the gum around it is swollen. It's the one right before the really big one. Would the best thing be to get it removed? And about how much is that to get a tooth like that removed? Anyone know a good vet in Southern California or Reno/tahoe? Do I have to go to a special vet or can any vet do it? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 There are canine dentists but they can be pretty pricey. I have had teeth removed from two dogs by regular vets who do this routinely in their practice. One was a senior Aussie with two molars with slab fractures (the one had abscessed and that's the only reason we realized it was broken) and the other is our Dan who has had three out of our canines removed (a more serious issue as the canines with their long, strong roots are an integral support to the jaws, especially the lower jaw). All of these were done well by the vets and healed uneventfully (except that Dan did tear out his stitches when the first two were removed and it was a job finding enough sound tissue to restitch). The dogs required soft diets for a while and no access to hard chews, bones, tug toys, etc., until healed. I don't have the numbers right here but I'm thinking around $300-400 for Dan (the more recent one), including bloodwork, anesthesia, antibiotics, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 Tilly had a molar extracted several years ago. Slab fracture that become abscessed. My regular vet did it, and it was $189. As I said, it was several years ago, and he tended to be less expensive than some of the other vets around. Her recovery was uneventful . . . other than I discovered that she's a bit of a screamer coming out of anesthesia. Pretty normal, I guess, but it was heartrending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 Extraction of a canine that is not loose is a bit more expensive - it requires opening the gum, removal of some of the surrounding bone, filling in the now-vacant area with a matrix, and then stitching back up. Dan had two removed the one time so that was more costly, and then the last time, the bone had been damaged (kicked to the side of the jaw) and the tooth was fractured, so it took a bit more time to do. PS - I think one or more of the cattle now realize that his air snap is worse than his bite... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 Good grief! Poor Dan! All the result of damage while working? J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess's Girl Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 Tess had one of her front teeth removed not too long ago, my regular vet did it. I went ahead and did it quick because i was afraid it would get infected. I also had them go ahead and clean her teeth while she was under. I want to say cleaning teeth and having the tooth removed was about 400 to 500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 I had a molar with a slab fracture and an upper canine with a root problem extracted from my now decreased Ross at my regular vet. After hearing many horror stories about healing and dogs with issues and a lot of pressure from my doggie friends to use a canine dentist I was scared, but the canine dentist wanted $1500ish to do what my vet did for $200. I simply didn't have the money at that point to go to the specialist. He healed with zero issues and continued to retrieve etc once healed. My little old Papillon has a face too small for her teeth and has had several teeth extracted over the years including her lower left canine at our regular vet and did just fine after healing. Make sure you get antibiotics and pain meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 Add me to the list of those using my regular vet. My old lady GSDx had a molar with a fracture removed a few years ago, she had her teeth cleaned at the same time, I think the bill was about $400 which included blood work before the anesthetic everything was fine. From my chats with her, dentistry was a big part of her general surgery practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 Good grief! Poor Dan! All the result of damage while working? J. Yes, that's my Dan who tends to heel grip first and ask questions later, if at all. He cleanly broke the end off one upper canine working a heifer and we left it alone for about two years, even though the vet felt it should come out. Then he broke the diagonal lower canine working again and this one was pretty certainly fractured as little chips were coming off the tip. So I felt that one needed to come out to avoid infection and other issues. Since he was going under for that, I went ahead and had them take out the broken upper canine (which I wish I hadn't had done as it had not caused any problems). The other upper canine was broken badly, a sideways kick to the face that did a bit of bone damage on the jaw just outside the tooth. The gum was damaged and there was a small amount of pus. Knowing there was an infection and the tooth was likely fractured, I had no choice but to have that one taken out. A dog with little to back up his threats does not have the same impact on a recalcitrant animal as a well-armed dog. When a grip isn't a grip and you can only air-snap, it just doesn't do the job the same way on a stubborn animal. However, he is still very effective on a group because they don't choose to stand and fight but prefer to move as a group. Fortunately. Celt has one broken upper canine but we are leaving it alone. The vet who discovered that (I was so embarrassed that I'd not noticed it) told me that many dogs weather broken teeth without issue while others don't. I chose "wait and see". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 Tommy has a slab fracture on a back molar. I watch it. So far it seems to be OK and it's probably been a couple of years now. If it starts to swell or she starts to act like it's bothering her I'll have it removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 We had an Airedale with a mouthful of broken teeth and never a problem. I think a lot depends on the dog and maybe even the diet and environment. And of course, the type of break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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