Worried your puppy’s broken a tooth? Maybe you found some bits of tooth, or your puppy’s gum is bleeding. Eeek, no one relishes the idea of a trip to the dentist do they?
If your puppy has a broken tooth, or you’re just wondering what would happen if you came across a puppy with a broken tooth, then carry on reading. We’ll help you learn how to spot if your puppy has a broken tooth, what you can do, and if you should be worried.
If you’ve stumbled across this article while looking for the best puppy training app around, then you’re in the right place. Zigzag is a dedicated puppy training app, we help you with every stage of your puppy’s development and understand that each breed of dog has their quirks, so we developed a training programme around that too. All of our training is up to date, science backed and positive reinforcement based. We know that raising a puppy has lows and highs, so we invested in having an on-call puppy coach for you, ready to talk you through any panic moments that you have, 7 days a week.
How to spot a puppy’s broken tooth
If you’re well in the midst of puppy ownership you’ve probably realised they spend a fair amount of time in the first year, going through all different stages of teething, from having no teeth when they’re born to having their first set and then cutting their second. After this, comes the chewing like crazy stage; at any stage, your puppy can break a tooth.
A puppy’s first set of teeth can look odd, almost like your puppy’s teeth are all broken already! They’re sharp and jagged; even when they fall out, they can look like odd chips.
If your puppy has a broken tooth, then you may see any of the following signs:
- Blood on toys or blankets
- Low appetite due to dental pain
- Drooling or salivating a lot
- Bad breath or discharge (caused by infection)
If your puppy breaks one of their first teeth then the rest will usually come out, if it doesn’t it can cause infection, so do keep checking their mouth. This might be a bit more serious if they have broken an adult tooth.
What can I do to help a puppy broken tooth?
So, what should you do if you suspect a broken tooth?
Check with the vet if your puppy has a broken tooth
It would be irresponsible if we didn’t say, on a puppy health related article, ‘check with your vet’. Sure you can do a lot of googling of symptoms and we’ll give you some useful suggestions, but it’s good to be on the safe side.
Your puppy’s health is important to us and we want to ensure they STAY healthy! A vet can look inside your puppy’s mouth and tell you what’s what.
Feed soft food if your puppy has lost a tooth
If your puppy has lost or broken a tooth, their mouth might be sore, and they probably won’t want to eat crunchy food as it will hurt their mouth. Moisten their kibble so that it’s softer and easier for them to eat. If you raw feed or make homemade food for your puppy you can also add a bit more water.
Make sure your puppy is comfortable with handling
If you suspect your puppy has a broken tooth, they’re going to need to be ok with handling, and having their teeth checked, as you’ll want to look inside their mouth, and so will the vet.
Check out the Zigzag puppy training app for handling tips.
Make sure your puppy has appropriate chews
You’ll be relieved to know that broken teeth in puppies is actually pretty common. It’s usually a result of chewing on the wrong things. Common things that dogs chew on which break teeth are rocks and sticks, so make sure you have plenty of puppy chews that your dog can play with, without breaking their teeth.
Keep your puppy’s teeth clean
Puppy teeth can also break due to gum disease and infection caused by bad dental hygiene. One of the best ways you can help with this is to teach your puppy to have their teeth brushed. You can do this as part of their regular grooming routine, but it’s often a service that dog groomers and Vets also offer.
Should I be concerned?
Honestly, it depends. Puppies teeth break all the time because they are so thin and fragile, but when replaced with adult teeth, they are typically OK.
If your puppy has a broken baby tooth, as long as the remainder of the tooth comes out and the tooth site is kept clean, you should be OK since the second set of teeth will replace it, and everything will be fine!
But if your puppy gets their second set of teeth through and one of them fractures, meaning a puppy broken tooth, it can be more of a cause for concern. Breaking an adult tooth can cause issues, since your puppy won’t be replacing that tooth, and therefore won’t have a full set of teeth. Your puppy being free of dental pain is important.
How your Vet handles a puppy’s broken tooth, will depend on the way the tooth was and has been broken, whether it’s only a chip that’s come off, or whether the tooth is split or cracked. They may just file the tooth down or recommend extraction of the entire tooth. Your dog may also need antibiotics if there is an infection present.
Alternatively, you might get a referral from your Vet to see a canine dentist – yes doggy dentists are a thing, and they see broken teeth all the time! The dentist may recommend having the tooth worked on, or removed, when your pup has another procedure such as spaying or neutering.
We hope we’ve eased your worries of what to do about a puppy with a broken tooth. The best way is to prevent your puppy from breaking any teeth in the first place. Do this by giving your puppy lots of appropriate chews so that they don’t chew on things that are going to break their teeth, and get into a good teeth cleaning routine. check out our article on toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Interested in learning more about how puppies communicate with us? Read our article on puppy body language to get the scoop on the language of dogs.
While you’re here, why not download the Zigzag puppy training app, we have tonnes of great content on all kinds of puppy subjects as well as a personalised training programme. Don’t forget about our puppy coaches always on hand to answer any questions you may have about your puppy’s training and behaviour.
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