Nedson’s owners enjoyed watching him play with his rope toy but didn’t enjoy the consequences of having to take their puppy to the dentist!

VetPrac thanks Dr Geraldine Gorman for providing this case study.

Geraldine is one of the educators at the VetPrac Practical Skills Bootcamp on April 17-19 at UQ Gatton. This workshop is ideal for veterinarians requiring a refresher course in Dentistry, Abdominal surgery, Animal behaviour, Communication techniques, and so much more! New graduates and veterinarians returning to work after a break are also encouraged to attend.

Fractured deciduous teeth in a puppy

Playing with rope toys was a bad move for puppy Nedson, who ended up with a fractured upper deciduous canine tooth. This was originally not symptomatic, but then Nedson’s face suddenly became swollen and he stopped eating. At this stage his owners sought veterinary advice.

Intra oral examination revealed a painful swelling above the tooth and dental x-rays under general anaesthesia revealed periapical bone lysis.

Local nerve blocks were given, the tooth extracted, and the gingiva sutured closed. The x-ray shows just how close the deciduous tooth root lies to the developing adult tooth, hence the importance of prompt extraction of all broken deciduous teeth. These teeth have very wide pulp canals which leaves them very vulnerable to infection when they get damaged.