Understanding tooth fractures in pets 101

According to veterinary technician Denise S. Rollings, AAS, CVT, VTS (Dentistry), founder of Pet Dental Education, the most common cause of a tooth fracture is "a dog chewing on a hard object." In a recent interview with dvm360^®, Rollings discussed several common ways tooth fractures are caused in pets and how to successfully treat and prevent them.

“Generally, the rule of thumb for the teeth health is that we want the item to be soft enough to bend it with our hand strength or indent it with our thumbnail," Rollings told dvm360^® staff.

"Some people also like to say if you would not hit it against your shin that it is too hard and can break teeth," she said, adding that some of these hard objects include bones, antlers, hooves, marrow bones, and nylon bones.

Rollings also provided an alternative plan for clinics that may not have access to the advanced equipment or procedures designed to treat tooth fractures.

"If a practice does not have the ability to [perform] this type of treatment, something we can talk with the owner about is if they are willing to check this tooth on a yearly basis with radiographs because at any point bacteria could get into the dental tubules to the pulp causing disease," she advised.

Watch the full interview below to discover more facts about tooth fractures in companion animals, plus the most effective treatment methods.