Dog with a broken tooth

Recognise the signs

• Visible tooth fracture — a chip, crack, or missing section of tooth crown; may be small and easy to miss
• Slab fracture — a large flat piece of the tooth broken off, most commonly on the upper fourth premolar (carnassial tooth) at the back; leaves a raw pink or red surface
• Uncomplicated crown fracture — enamel or dentine broken but the pulp (inner nerve/blood supply) not visibly exposed; still painful and prone to infection
• Complicated crown fracture with pulp exposure — red, pink, or dark brown/black central dot or area visible in the fracture; acutely painful and will become infected without treatment
• Facial swelling below the eye or along the jaw — classic sign of a tooth root abscess, often from an untreated upper carnassial fracture
• Draining tract (fistula) — a small pus-discharging hole appearing on the skin below the eye or on the gum; indicates established abscess
• Reluctance to eat hard food or chew toys; preferring one side of the mouth
• Pawing at the face or rubbing the muzzle on the floor
• Bad breath that worsens progressively over days to weeks — bacterial infection around the damaged pulp produces a distinct odour
• Drooling, sometimes blood-tinged, particularly in the first hours after injury
• Dropped food, reduced appetite, or weight loss in prolonged untreated cases

First aid steps

1. Check the mouth safely — with the dog calm, gently lift the lips to inspect the teeth, especially the large upper back teeth (carnassials) and canines. Use a torch. Do not force the mouth open if the dog is in significant pain.
2. Switch immediately to soft food — wet food, soaked kibble, or home-cooked soft meals. This reduces pain and avoids further damage whilst awaiting the vet.
3. Remove all hard chews, bones, antlers, and hard toys — replace with rope toys, rubber Kongs, and soft items only.
4. Photograph the tooth — a clear photo showing the fracture helps your vet triage urgency over the phone and plan treatment before the appointment.
5. Phone the vet within 24 hours — broken teeth with pulp exposure are painful and infection sets in quickly. Describe what you can see; send the photograph if the practice accepts them.
6. Swollen face or visible pus = same-day emergency — a facial abscess (classically a swelling below the eye) means infection has reached the tooth root and is spreading. Do not wait for a routine appointment.

Common causes

• Deer antlers — the single most common cause seen by UK vets; antlers are harder than tooth enamel and cause slab fractures on the large carnassial (shearing) teeth
• Hard nylon chews (Nylabones and similar) — marketed as durable but regularly cause tooth fractures
• Real bones — cooked or raw; cooked bones are harder and more brittle, increasing fracture risk significantly
• Ice cubes — popular as a treat but can fracture teeth, especially the large back teeth used to crunch them
• Fence or kennel chewing — repetitive pressure fractures and wears enamel over time
• Trauma — road traffic accidents, falls, collisions at speed, ball caught on hard ground
• Underlying dental disease — periodontal disease weakens the supporting structures and enamel, making teeth more vulnerable to fracture under normal chewing forces

What the vet will need to know

• When you first noticed the fracture, and whether there was a known incident (chewing antler, trauma, etc.)
• Which tooth is affected and what the fracture looks like — photograph is extremely helpful
• Whether pulp appears exposed (red, pink, or dark spot in the centre of the fracture)
• Current eating behaviour — is the dog eating, preferring one side, or refusing food?
• Any facial swelling, discharge, or worsening bad breath since the fracture was noticed

Aftercare

• Root canal vs extraction — your vet will discuss both options. Extraction is the most common treatment in general practice: it removes pain and infection completely and dogs cope extremely well without the tooth. Root canal therapy (performed by a veterinary dental specialist) preserves the tooth but requires referral, multiple appointments, and higher cost (typically £800–£2,000+); it is most appropriate for working dogs or where the canine teeth are involved.
• Recovery after extraction — expect 10–14 days of soft food only, prescription pain relief (usually meloxicam), and possibly antibiotics. Most dogs are comfortable and eating normally within 48 hours of surgery.
• Anaesthetic risk in brachycephalic breeds (Bulldogs, Pugs, French Bulldogs, Shih Tzus) — these dogs carry higher anaesthetic risk due to their airway anatomy. Discuss this explicitly with your vet before the procedure; a specialist anaesthetist or referral centre may be recommended for severely affected individuals.
• Follow-up dental check — once healed, book a full dental examination to assess remaining teeth. Dental disease rarely affects just one tooth; the episode that caused the fracture (e.g., months of antler chewing) may have damaged other teeth less visibly.
• Monitor the extraction site — a small amount of blood-tinged saliva in the first 24 hours is normal. Contact the vet if bleeding is heavy, the dog is pawing excessively at the mouth, or swelling develops after surgery.
• Long-term dental care — after treatment, establish a daily tooth-brushing routine and schedule annual dental health checks to prevent recurrence.

Prevention

• Apply the finger-pressure test before giving any chew: press your thumbnail firmly into the item. If it does not flex or give at all, it is too hard for a dog's teeth and will cause fractures. Antlers, real bones, ice cubes, and hard nylon all fail this test.
• Avoid deer antlers entirely — they are the leading cause of slab fractures in UK veterinary practices. No antler, regardless of size or whether it is described as 'split' or 'softer', passes the flex test consistently.
• Choose safe chew alternatives — rubber Kongs (especially Kong Classic or Kong Extreme), soft rope toys, and dental sticks that bend under pressure are all significantly safer than antlers or bones.
• Never give cooked bones — cooking makes bones harder, more brittle, and prone to splintering. Raw bones carry lower fracture risk but still fail the flex test; discuss with your vet if you want to feed raw.
• Brush your dog's teeth daily — daily brushing with a dog-specific enzymatic toothpaste removes plaque, prevents periodontal disease, and keeps teeth strong. Start slowly with a finger brush if your dog is new to brushing.
• Book annual dental health checks with your vet or veterinary nurse — early detection of enamel wear, early fractures, and gum disease means treatment before pain or abscess develops.
• Supervise all chewing sessions — do not leave a dog unattended with any chew item, even ones rated as safe. If the chew becomes small enough to swallow or starts splintering, remove it immediately.
• For ball-obsessed dogs, choose rubber or foam balls rather than hard tennis balls on hard surfaces — repeated impact catching on concrete or tarmac causes cumulative enamel wear and micro-fractures over time.

Breed-specific notes

• Brachycephalic breeds (Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Pugs, Shih Tzus, Boxers) — crowded, rotated teeth and malocclusion mean teeth are under uneven stress during chewing and fracture more readily than in dogs with normal bite alignment. Anaesthetic risk during dental procedures is also significantly higher in these breeds; discuss this with your vet before any dental surgery.
• Working and sporting dogs (Springer Spaniels, Labradors, German Shepherds, Border Collies) — high activity and outdoor work increases trauma risk from collisions, fence impacts, and picking up sticks and stones. Regular mouth checks after working sessions are recommended.
• Retrievers (Labrador, Golden, Flat-Coated) — ball obsession combined with an enthusiastic bite reflex on hard surfaces causes enamel wear and fractures over time. Switching to soft rubber or foam balls and avoiding hard concrete play areas significantly reduces this risk.

Frequently asked questions

Related topics

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