Dental fractures are frequently seen in dogs and cats. Biting at the bars of a cage and vehicular trauma are common causes of fractured canine teeth in dogs. Chewing on hard and brittle objects (cow hooves, antlers, NylaboneⓇ toys, bullysticks, Himalayan yak cheese toys) often cause fractures of the large, back teeth in dogs. Falling from a height and vehicular trauma are common causes of fractured canine teeth in cats. If the fracture exposes the pulp inside the tooth (complicated crown fracture), bacteria and other microbes gain entry and overwhelmingly contaminate the pulp. The pulp tissue subsequently dies and decomposes. Over time, the infection within the tooth can leak out of the root tip (apex) and contaminate the surrounding bone (chronic apical periodontitis). On an X-ray or CT scan, this appears as bone of reduced density around the root tip. Fractured teeth with pulp exposure must either be extracted or repaired.

Repair of fractured teeth involves completely removing the contaminated pulp (total pulpectomy), chemically sterilizing the cleaned interior of the tooth (pulp cavity) with bleach, and then filling the tooth with inert filling materials. This procedure is referred to as “root canal therapy”. The remaining crown is then restored with either dental composite or, in certain situations, by a prosthetic metal crown. Root canal therapy is much less traumatic than surgical extraction, and the tooth's function is preserved. If a tooth requires surgical extraction, an incision is made in the gum tissue surrounding the tooth, and some bone is removed to facilitate the removal of the root. After extracting the tooth, the socket is cleaned, and the gum tissue is sutured over the extraction site. Playing with toys and other oral activities must be curtailed until the extraction site has time to head (ten days).

Sometimes, blunt-force trauma that was not severe enough to fracture a tooth can still result in compromise to the blood flow inside the pulp, which then results in pulp death. Such teeth appear purple, gray, or brown compared to adjacent teeth. Treatment includes either extraction or root canal therapy.

The 8 circled teeth are considered “strategic” teeth and are the ones for which RCT may be an appropriate choice if the injured tooth is an acceptable candidate for treatment.

Example of a fractured canine tooth in a dog:

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Example of a discolored canine tooth in a dog:

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Example of a fractured triple-rooted tooth in a dog:

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