It all started with a broken tooth. A broken tooth I didn’t even know my dog had.
I had dropped off my Miniature Poodle, Jäger, at the vet for his annual dental cleaning. My vet called me just an hour later, saying that after putting my dog under general anesthesia, they opened his mouth and saw that he had an obviously broken tooth. I was surprised. My dog had never once acted like he was in pain. He was eating normally and was his usual happy self.
As it turns out, dogs are masters at hiding their pain. It goes back to their survival instinct. An injured or sick animal is an easy target for predators, so dogs are not always injured, even if they are.
Needless to say, I felt TERRIBLE. My poor pooch was in pain, and I didn’t even know it. Thank God I brought him in for his teeth cleaning or who knows how long it would have gone unnoticed?
I thought my vet would just pull the tooth and asked what the cost would be. I was surprised when he said, “You know what? This is a pretty important tooth [it was a molar], and Jäger is a young dog. You might want to consider a root canal.”
Mmmm, WHAT?
Yes, root canals for dogs are actually a thing. (An EXPENSIVE thing, by the way. Thank goodness we have pet insurance!) My regular vet doesn’t do advanced dental procedures like root canals, so he just cleaned my dog’s teeth and referred me to a vet. In the US, these specialists are certified by the American College of Veterinary Dentistry.
“Root canal treatment is recommended over extraction when the involved tooth is significant [strategic] tooth,” said Barden Greenfield, DVM, Dipl. AVDC, its owner Your dentistwhich has locations in Memphis, Tennessee and Little Rock, Arkansas.
He said the usual candidates for root canals are maxillary and mandibular canines, upper fourth premolars, mandibular first molars and maxillary lateral incisors.
“I strongly recommend root canal treatment over extractions for those teeth that qualify for the procedure. Dental radiographs are needed to evaluate the root canal system and the root of the tooth. In some cases, the tooth needs to be extracted because of root resorption or other potential problems.”
Simply pulling a broken tooth may be less expensive, but there are risks associated with extraction. Root canals are preferred for these particular teeth for several reasons: 1) They are extremely difficult to remove, 2) attempting to remove them can lead to an accidental fracture of the jaw, 3) these strategic teeth hold the tongue in the mouth (so does not come off to the side) and 4) the teeth provide support to the lower jaw.
I chose to go ahead with the root canal for the Jäger and I’m so glad I did. The procedure went well, Jäger was sent home on painkillers and by the next day he was feeling back to his old self. I can only imagine what a relief it was for him to fix his broken tooth! He has had two rechecks on this tooth since the procedure and everything still looks great.
“The normal follow-up for root canals is to get dental x-rays at six to 12 months after the procedure and then annually,” said Dr. Greenfield. “This is done at the time of the annual cleaning, so there is no additional anesthetic fee/time. Root canals are over 90 percent successful, so ideally it should last the pet’s life.
I still don’t know what broke Jäger’s tooth. He chews a lot and sometimes understands things I don’t want him to. Dr. Greenfield said hard chewing is often the culprit.
“One of the biggest items that can contribute to tooth fracture is dogs chewing on deer/deer antlers,” he said. “Unfortunately, we are seeing a lot of such cases lately. Other hard chews can contribute, such as cow hooves and hard bones.”
I definitely don’t want another broken tooth, so we changed all Jäger chews to softer ones.
“Raw skins are still fine, as long as you find one that’s safe to digest,” Dr. Greenfield said. “Most of the chews I recommend are not necessarily chews for passive chewing, but to help prevent plaque and tartar.”
He recommends chewing gum that has the Seal of the Veterinary Oral Health Council.
With luck, my dog’s first root canal will be his last!
Featured image credit: alexei_tm | Thinkstock.
