Thor just lost an adult tooth! I don't know what to think. I was brushing Thor's teeth, just like I do almost every night. One of the front bottom ones seemed to be at a weird angle, and it wiggled when I brushed it. I touched it and it fell right out of his mouth! The tooth appears to be healthy, though absolutely covered in plaque. The root is extremely long. I don't know how it possibly could have slid out of his gum. I probed the area a little bit, and Thor doesn't appear to be in any pain. He's eating fine and playing. What the heck happened? Is this a sign of serious gum disease? He had a checkup a few months ago and they said his teeth looked fine, though they never do more than a cursory once over. Does he need to go to a doggie dentist? How urgent is this? |
You say it was covered in plaque...when was his last dental? |
3 years ago, when he had his last baby teeth extracted. The vet always said it didn't look like he needed one. On the back of his front lowers (does that make sense?), there was always this wall of plaque I couldn't make a dent on. Thor has a extreme tendedency to plaque. Like if we skip a few days of brushing, I see new plaque form. Brushing just keeps it at bay, it doesn't ever remove what's already there. |
I'd get him in for a dental ASAP. |
Because it was covered in plague, chances of periodontal disease are very high. He does need a dental asap. The incisors (the ones in the front) seem to be the first ones to start falling out too. Those were the ones that E started losing. Also though, dog teeth aren't as strong as what people might think. Very hard chews aren't going to help the loosening issue. All chews should be approved by your vet. |
GAH, I am so upset with my vet! I just read up on how plaque builds up under the gumline and then it destroys the connective tissue holding the tooth in place. They always said, oh his teeth look okay, given he's a yorkie... but he has lots of plaque on his gumline. GAH! I've worked so hard to keep his teeth in good shape, and now it's obvious he should have been getting yearly dentals. I am travelling this month, so I have him scheduled for an emergency consult today at a vet recommended by a friend. One of his other teeth is loose. I just hope the damage can be undone. :( |
Poor Thor! I hope he can have a dental and not lose more teeth. Sending best wishes to your little guy. |
He'll be okay. It's going to cost you a lot more money now though because they failed to recommend a routine dental. A certain amount of plaque does indicate that a dental is needed. If it's on the teeth, then it's under the gumline too. Now he almost certainly has periodontal disease. Teeth will need to be extracted (Ellie had 9 pulled when she was in a similar spot - started losing her incisors). A cleaning needs to be done along with some gum work. Xrays should be taken to assess what is going on under the gumline (not all vets have dental xray capability). That's most likely what will happen anyway. Ellie does very well without some of her teeth and has had no major dental issues since (4 years ago). Nothing to worry too much about as long as you get it fixed quickly. |
Hope all goes well with the new vet. I hate to hear that a vet does not recommend dentals as needed. At least now you know what to look for. It sounds like Thor may need a yearly dental which is actually very common in yorkies. One of my pups needs one every six months. I let it go for a year and she lost a tooth. :( So now...every six months she gets one! |
Thanks for the well wishes. I think Thor may be a six-monther too... it's insane how fast his teeth plaque. I hate to think that he's been in pain for who know how long. :( |
Well, hopefully it is not causing him a lot of pain. I also hope he does not lose a lot of teeth. Once he has his dental, he will be fine! :) |
Some Yorkies do need them very often. My vet has seen some that could use a dental every 3-6 months. Also if there are issues with the enamel, that could be a factor. With such severe build up, I'd try brushing with an enzymatic toothpaste twice daily. I'd also use OraVet which is debatable. |
you could also consider starting him on an oral care kibble if you wanted. I agree with the others it depends on the dog. My older dog Barney is coming due for a dental and he is 11 and this will be his first -- he has beautiful teeth and hasn't lost any. Daisy lost 10 teeth before age 2, not because of lack of care - they just came out from lousy breeding. She then broke two - and had to have them removed, so she has only needed 2 dentals in her life. Now Teddy on the other hand is almost 3 and his teeth are building up plaque- I took him to the dentist who said it's not needed yet but I think he needs one soon. I started him on RC yorkshire terrier kibble which has an ingredient to help with plaque and it seems to be helping. The AVDA has info on their website about oral care foods. |
Poor Thor! I am sure he will be fine, after his dental, and take it from there. Keep us updated and don't forget to give Thor lots of kisses from Jackson and I. |
Thor had his consult today. This vet said that his plaque was "mild to moderate", and that for his size and age, his teeth were better than average. She also seemed to think that the tooth might have gotten dislodged some other way, which I'm not sure I buy, because Thor is just not a rough and tumble dog. In any case, she made me feel a bit better about his oral hygiene. He is still going to need a full dental, especially because the very tip of the root may still be lodged in there somewhere, and because another tooth is loose. We are scheduled for next Monday. She said she's not surprised that my normal vet didn't recommend a dental because his teeth aren't all that bad, but she's going to give me some referrals for vets in my area who are more proactive about preventative care. We're also going to do hip and knee X-ray while he's under anesthesia, in addition to dental X-rays. I think he's going to lose that second tooth, but she said they will try to save it and she seemed optimistic that he might not need any other extractions. Fingers crossed! |
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