Chipped canine

RE: Chipped canine

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 00:01:37 GMT

Sorry to turbo post but "Edit" doesn't seem to work.

In the OP case, if funds don't stretch too far, resin composite to seal and protect the tubules followed by lots of monitoring would be reasonable.

RE: Chipped canine

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 23:55:29 GMT

[quote userid="4331" url="~/001/veterinary-clinical/small-animal/dentistry/f/discussions/28857/chipped-canine/219208"]Re Crowns. The dogs that damage teeth are often serial offenders and also young. If a flowable composite repair is damaged quite quickly the area of concern can be bigger than previously. At that stage in the dog’s life the options are limited. Redo the original repair with a caveat, extraction if the owner is hard up and can’t afford another “failure” or place an occult crown with minimal prep and allow the tooth to survive to adulthood. [/quote]

If he's young and you're sure he's going to be a serial offender, yes, quod concedendum est.

I admit that the advent of minimal preparation crowns of chrome cobalt has changed things considerably. But crowning is quite expensive.

RE: Chipped canine

Norman Johnston — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 18:05:00 GMT

Re Crowns. The dogs that damage teeth are often serial offenders and also young. If a flowable composite repair is damaged quite quickly the area of concern can be bigger than previously. At that stage in the dog’s life the options are limited. Redo the original repair with a caveat, extraction if the owner is hard up and can’t afford another “failure” or place an occult crown with minimal prep and allow the tooth to survive to adulthood.
These can be hard cases to deal with. Sometimes it’s better if the pulp is exposed because root filling comes into the options immediately and can provide a better outcome ultimately.

RE: Chipped canine

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 17:36:35 GMT

Wot Norman and Rob said.

The tooth needs some attention.

Though I remain to be convinced that crowning is indicated in many cases.But:

[quote userid="4747" url="~/001/veterinary-clinical/small-animal/dentistry/f/discussions/28857/chipped-canine"]The tooth certainly does not require removal [/quote]

I can't resist taking the opportunity to point out yet again that a broken canine tooth never requires removal, unless split longitudinally or damaged far deep to alveolar margin level.

RE: Chipped canine

Rob Davis — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 16:20:59 GMT

What age is the dog? In younger dogs the dentine is thinner meaning the pulp is closer to the surface and there are more tubules present in the exposed dentine. This means the exposed area is likely to be more sensitive and is probably at an increased risk of infection via ingress of oral bacteria along the dentine tubules.

I would agree with Norman's excellent advice above. This would be one to refer if you do not have experience using dental restorative materials.

RE: Chipped canine

Norman Johnston — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 15:52:10 GMT

Repair is feasible and desirable. Often the damaged area has razor sharp edges that can damage the tongue or overlying mucosa. In addition, the exposed dentine is very sensitive. A tooth that takes enough trauma to damage enamel might also have injured the pulp - even if the pulp is not exposed. Intrusion into the alveolus or subluxation can damage the blood supply to it needed monitored for around a year for any changes - radiographs over at least two projections and comparisons with the contralateral canine, which will be your control.

Smoothing the edges with fine diamonds or white stones is followed by acid etched, dentine bonding is a minumum. Some cases can have a flowable composite added to improve the repair. Crowning is also an option to provide better protection if the dog is likely to damage it again.