Help, I'm scared!!! A tooth (NOT a baby tooth) just fell out of my 3 y.o.'s mouth!

[bellasmomok]

My 3 yr old Yorkie, Bella, just had a permanent (adult) tooth fall out! She hasn't had any trauma, and her gums and teeth are in really good shape. It's the tooth just before her top canine tooth, on her Rt. I'm really worried about why a tooth just fell out!!! Has anyone had this happen or know why it could happen?? She seems to feel just fine....even wanted to play with me right after it happened.

Her health history is this: she was tentatively diagnosed with Hepatic MVD just after she turned 1 (she had abnormal BAT's and her ALT has always been a bit high, and then we did the Protein C test, and it came back normal, which pointed to MVD). She has never been symptomatic...always looked and acted just like any other healthy pup. And she has beautiful, silky hair. When I found out, I started her on Natural Balance Organic kibble, and give her a soft chew with DMG and milk thistle (etc.) every day, as well as give her fish oil and vitamin E. She started taking liquid Prozac in December for her Separation Anxiety...she takes 0.4 mL every other day. Oh, and she weighs between 4.25 and 4.5 lbs.

I hope someone knows what might be going on?!!!! I'm worried about my baby!

[Ellie May]

Long time no chat.

When did the vet look at her mouth yet?

Trauma or dental disease are the top possibilities. The vet should take a look. Ellie started losing adult teeth. It was severe periontal disease. All better now. This isn't a crazy occurrence. No reason to panic. When was her last dental? Has she ever had dental xrays? Did it break off or totally fall out? What chews does she get?

[yorkietalkjilly]

Sounds like trauma/injury or disease process around the structures holding the tooth, failing any worry of thin bones or dental disease. Just let the vet check it all out.

[bellasmomok]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Long time no chat.

When did the vet look at her mouth yet?

Trauma or dental disease are the top possibilities. The vet should take a look. Ellie started losing adult teeth. It was severe periontal disease. All better now. This isn't a crazy occurrence. No reason to panic. When was her last dental? Has she ever had dental xrays? Did it break off or totally fall out? What chews does she get?

It happened just a little bit ago, so she hasn't seen the vet yet. When she got her annual exam last Fall, her vet commented on how good her teeth look, so I think it would be really strange for her to have severe periodontal disease....but I suppose it could be difficult to tell for sure (for me anyway).

It's about time for her annual exam, so I'm going to call and make her an appointment in the morning...I hope they can get her in in the next couple of days! She's never had a dental....I scraped her teeth myself (per vet recommendation) for the first time last August, and I just did it again for a second time about a month ago, but that particular tooth has never had any plaque on it (only the ones behind her canines). She's never had dental x-rays, but I'm guessing they're going to have to do it now. It's hard to tell if it broke off or totally fell out by the tooth, but I couldn't see any tooth left in the gum. Of course, there's a blood clot there now, so maybe I wouldn't be able to. And the tooth itself didn't have any blood on it, like around the rim of it, like her baby teeth did when they fell out. Sooo, maybe it did break off! :O I hope not, though. I'm trying not to panic. She doesn't seem like she's uncomfortable or anything, so I guess I'll have to wait and see what the vet says. Thanks for reassuring me some!!! It has been a long time Crystal! I really appreciate you posting so quickly...I do feel a little better. I'll let you know what her vet says (and I'll let you know when I'm able to get her in too). Thank you so much!

[Ellie May]

You're welcome.

I'd get a second opinion on the scraping thing before doing it again. It is almost always considered a very bad idea to scrape at home because you can't get close enough to the gums, any jerking and she will get injured, no thorough vet exam where they can really look at things, and after scraping they need to be buffed.

Is she chewing on anything hard?

[bellasmomok]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

You're welcome.

I'd get a second opinion on the scraping thing before doing it again. It is almost always considered a very bad idea to scrape at home because you can't get close enough to the gums, any jerking and she will get injured, no thorough vet exam where they can really look at things, and after scraping they need to be buffed.

Is she chewing on anything hard?

Ok, I'll do that. I asked about the buffing when he recommended it, and he said they didn't need it because they chew anyway. I'll ask my old vet in Oklahoma....I love him and trust him.

She rarely chews on anything hard, and even then, it's not that hard (has some give to it, not like those really hard Nylabones, or whatever). Actually, she rarely chews. She has 1 favorite toy (a tiny Kong bear with a squeaker) and rarely wants to play with anything else. Every once in awhile, she gets a wild hair and wants to play with other toys and chews, but it's pretty rare.

I looked in her mouth again just a few minutes ago....the blood clot is smaller, and I still don't see anything in there still. I'm definitely taking her in though, as soon as I can get her in.

[ladyjane]

A vet told you to scrape her teeth yourself? Personally, I would be looking for another vet. That is simply not a good idea and is not proper dental care imho.
I hope it is not the same vet that you plan to call tomorrow.

[ladyjane]

Here is a link to the American Veterinary Dental College .. lots of information there:

Home | AVDC - American Veterinary Dental College

[MauiGirl]

Hi Tara, miss you around here. Sorry to hear about Bella's tooth.

My little Karlee (2) has one tiny front tooth on the bottom that broke off, and I was so worried because I can see the root and it's brown. The vet checked it out and said she thinks it's fine and to leave it alone, as they don't want to put her under just for that one thing. I'm still concerned though.

Let us know what you find out.

[bellasmomok]

Originally Posted by MauiGirl

Hi Tara, miss you around here. Sorry to hear about Bella's tooth.

My little Karlee (2) has one tiny front tooth on the bottom that broke off, and I was so worried because I can see the root and it's brown. The vet checked it out and said she thinks it's fine and to leave it alone, as they don't want to put her under just for that one thing. I'm still concerned though.

Let us know what you find out.

I know, I've been MIA I started grad school in January. It's an accelerated program, and it's been kicking my butt! If I'm not doing projects/assignments/etc, I'm playing with my kiddos, and I've just let YT fall by the wayside. I definitely need to work some YT time into my schedule, though, I'm just having trouble balancing everything. Oh! AND I've been planning a wedding too, which you already knew about, huh, since you helped me so much with planning our Maui honeymoon! Thanks again for that...it was so amazing to be able to have access to info I wouldn't have otherwise! We're getting married on Oct. 7th (our babies are going down the aisle just before me), and then going to Maui Nov. 18-23.

Thanks for telling me about Karlee's tooth and what her vet said! How did it break off, do you know? One of the reasons I'm so worried about Bella's is that she doesn't ever chew on anything hard, she hasn't had any trauma, and her teeth and gums are very healthy (she saw several vets last Fall when I was trying to find one I liked because we had just moved, and they all said how great her teeth looked)....just so strange and worrisome to me.

I called the second they opened this morning and made her an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you know what he says then. (He isn't the vet who recommended scaling her teeth myself, but I'm almost sure I told him about it...if I did, I know I would remember if he said anything about it, and I don't. I'll talk to him about that tomorrow too. I did read all the info on the AVDC website that ladyjane linked.)

[MauiGirl]

Originally Posted by bellasmomok

I know, I've been MIA I started grad school in January. It's an accelerated program, and it's been kicking my butt! If I'm not doing projects/assignments/etc, I'm playing with my kiddos, and I've just let YT fall by the wayside. I definitely need to work some YT time into my schedule, though, I'm just having trouble balancing everything. Oh! AND I've been planning a wedding too, which you already knew about, huh, since you helped me so much with planning our Maui honeymoon! Thanks again for that...it was so amazing to be able to have access to info I wouldn't have otherwise! We're getting married on Oct. 7th (our babies are going down the aisle just before me), and then going to Maui Nov. 18-23.

Thanks for telling me about Karlee's tooth and what her vet said! How did it break off, do you know? One of the reasons I'm so worried about Bella's is that she doesn't ever chew on anything hard, she hasn't had any trauma, and her teeth and gums are very healthy (she saw several vets last Fall when I was trying to find one I liked because we had just moved, and they all said how great her teeth looked)....just so strange and worrisome to me.

I called the second they opened this morning and made her an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you know what he says then. (He isn't the vet who recommended scaling her teeth myself, but I'm almost sure I told him about it...if I did, I know I would remember if he said anything about it, and I don't. I'll talk to him about that tomorrow too. I did read all the info on the AVDC website that ladyjane linked.)

Great hearing more news from you. I didn't want to mention your wedding and honeymoon publicly since we did all that via PM, but since you have announced here, I just want to say again congratulations and good luck, and I hope I get to meet you on Maui! How fun the fur girls are in the wedding, I want to see pictures of that.

About Karlee, I have no idea what happened to her tooth, with 4 pups I can't keep track of who chews on what. It became discolored first, maybe dead, then the top half broke off. I was concerned about pain or infection, but the vet said there were no signs of either. It is so tiny in the front bottom, it's hardly noticeable. Someday if (when) she needs a dental they will pull it, but so far her teeth are really good at 2 yrs. old.

[bellasmomok]

I guess I was so relieved that I forgot to post about our vet appointment today! Her vet said that it looked like the tooth had snapped off, that there weren't any roots on the tooth (which I brought with me to show him), but he also didn't see anything left in her mouth. He said it's possible the root part fell out after the tooth, and it's also possible that a little bit could be left in her mouth that we just can't see right now. He just told me to watch that area for any swelling and inflammation, but that he thought it would be just fine. Yay!!!! I'm so relieved! I was really getting worried that something else was going on. He said maybe she ran into something that I didn't notice or something....I have no idea how it happened.

(Also, I asked him about scraping her teeth myself, which I just did for the 2nd time 2 or 3 wks ago, and he said her teeth and gums look amazing! He said that when she starts getting older, that she may need a professional cleaning to get anything that starts getting built up under the gum line, but that I'm doing a great job taking care of her teeth, and that scaling them once per year won't hurt them at all....where people get in trouble is when they're doing it fairly often. He said to keep up the good work and to also keep on brushing! I know a lot of people on YT are against it, but I've had 3 vets now tell me it was okay to do it myself. Honestly, I'm just trying to balance out the negatives with the positives, and I think for us this makes more sense than sedating them...for now. I do know that in a few years, they'll need that professional cleaning anyway, but until then, I'm going to do what I can to keep theirs little mouths in as good a shape as I can.)

[bellasmomok]

Originally Posted by MauiGirl

Great hearing more news from you. I didn't want to mention your wedding and honeymoon publicly since we did all that via PM, but since you have announced here, I just want to say again congratulations and good luck, and I hope I get to meet you on Maui! How fun the fur girls are in the wedding, I want to see pictures of that.

About Karlee, I have no idea what happened to her tooth, with 4 pups I can't keep track of who chews on what. It became discolored first, maybe dead, then the top half broke off. I was concerned about pain or infection, but the vet said there were no signs of either. It is so tiny in the front bottom, it's hardly noticeable. Someday if (when) she needs a dental they will pull it, but so far her teeth are really good at 2 yrs. old.

Thank you for your discretion...that's really sweet! And thanks for your well wishes too!!! I'd love to meet up with you while we're there!!! And maybe I'll get to see your babies too. It'll make me miss mine, I'm sure....ORRR maybe it'll give me a baby fix so I can make it through until we get home! I'll definitely post pictures of my kiddos in the wedding...I hope we get some good ones!! (We actually had our pictures made this past Sunday, so I don't have them yet...and actually it was kind of a crappy experience, bbuuuuttt he focused so much on the girls that I know there are a lot of good ones of them. I'll post those when I get them too )

[MauiGirl]

Glad to hear Bella's missing tooth isn't anything to worry about. I know since Bella and Tiki both went thru liver issues at the same time 3 years ago, we both probably worry about anything that pops up as being a possible symptom of MVD. Luckily, sounds like they are both doing very well.

Yes, my doggies want to meet you in Maui too, and will give you lots of kissies!
Your time here is so short, and so much to do, but we will love meeting you whenever you can.

[bellasmomok]

Originally Posted by MauiGirl

Glad to hear Bella's missing tooth isn't anything to worry about. I know since Bella and Tiki both went thru liver issues at the same time 3 years ago, we both probably worry about anything that pops up as being a possible symptom of MVD. Luckily, sounds like they are both doing very well.

Yes, my doggies want to meet you in Maui too, and will give you lots of kissies!
Your time here is so short, and so much to do, but we will love meeting you whenever you can.

You're exactly right! Anytime anything is different, I worry about it being something to do with her MVD, or some side effect of a supplement she's taking, etc., etc. I'm just so thankful she's as healthy as she is....I'm just always watching in case the tide turns I guess.

P.S. The only lab value that's ever been abnormal (besides her BAT's of course) has been her ALT. Last Fall it had come down to 162 (from 345), which we thought was amazing! I started being really consistent with giving her 1/3 of a Vetri-Liver Support soft chew (Vetri-Liver Canine Bite-Sized Chews (60 Chews) ), as well as fish oil and vitamin E. Then, last Winter she started taking Prozac for her S.A., which I of course worried about messing with her liver....so, we had her labs repeated twice since she started taking it. Her ALT was 122 and 121....crazy! Yesterday, I had her labs repeated again (it had been 6 months since the last time...we're monitoring because she's been taking the Prozac). Her vet just called with the results......drum roll please......her ALT is now....64!!!!! Can you believe it?!!! I'm just so amazed that it's well within the normal range now! He said, "Whatever you're doing, keep on doing it because it's working!" The only thing I've changed since that 162 is giving her those 3 supplements every single day. I feel so blessed and am so happy!!! It's so low that now I'm seriously wondering if the lab made some mistake!