Can a broken tooth in a cat be saved?when a canine can be rescued and when extraction is the better choice

Why a broken canine in a cat so often involves the pulp

A tooth is made of enamel on the outside, dentine beneath it and the pulp in the centre — nerves, blood vessels and the cells that nourish the tooth. In cats the enamel is thin, and the pulp chamber of the canine is large and runs almost to the very tip. So where a large dog might chip off only enamel, a fracture in a cat often reaches the pulp. How the decision is made for a broken tooth in dogs, I describe in Can a broken tooth in a dog be saved?

An exposed pulp is immediately in contact with the bacteria of the mouth. First it becomes inflamed (this is pulpitis), then it dies, and the infection escapes through the root tip into the bone. This leads to an abscess, facial swelling or a draining tract, even though the tooth itself may look “almost intact”. More in Pulpitis in dogs and cats.

How to spot a broken tooth in a cat

A cat will not point to a sore tooth, so a fracture is usually noticed by chance — when your cat yawns or washes. Here is what to check by gently lifting the lip at the side in good light:

• canines of different lengths: one is shorter, with a blunt or uneven tip;
• a dot in the centre of the fracture: pink or red means the pulp was exposed recently, dark or black that it happened a while ago;
• a tooth that has changed colour — pink, grey or brown, even without a visible fracture;
• a chipped edge on the large upper cheek tooth — visible if you lift the lip further back;
• swelling on the face, under the eye or on the chin, or a wound with pus.

In behaviour, small details give a fracture away: your cat chews on one side, drops food, takes treats carefully, chatters its teeth or paws at its face. But many cats change nothing at all. If something about a canine looks wrong to you, take a photo and show it to a vet; more signs are on the symptom page Broken tooth.

Why cats break teeth — and when a “fracture” is really resorption

Cats most often break their canines in falls, including from windows or balconies, in fights, from knocks or during boisterous play. After a fall from a height there may be injuries to the jaw and palate alongside the broken teeth — see My cat fell from a window.

Sometimes, though, a tooth “broke by itself”, with no injury at all. In cats this is a reason to think of tooth resorption (TR): the body’s own cells destroy the tooth, it weakens, and the crown snaps off during ordinary eating. Such a tooth is treated neither with a filling nor with root canal treatment — it is extracted or, under strict conditions confirmed on an X-ray, its crown is amputated. More in Tooth resorption in cats.

How a broken tooth in a cat is treated

The option depends on whether the pulp is exposed, how much time has passed, the state of the root and bone, and your cat’s age. These are the main routes:

• A chip without pulp exposure. The sharp edge is smoothed and the exposed dentine is covered with a protective material or a filling (restoration). The pulp under a deep chip can still die later, so the tooth is monitored on X-rays.
• A fresh fracture with an exposed pulp — vital pulp therapy. Only the top, contaminated part of the pulp is removed, then a medicated material and a filling are placed. If treatment succeeds, the tooth stays alive. The chances are best when the fracture is very fresh, so every day counts.
• An older fracture or a dead pulp — root canal treatment (endodontic treatment). The pulp is removed completely and the canal is cleaned and sealed. In cats this is done mainly for canines — when the root is mature and intact and there is no resorption or periodontitis. The result is checked on follow-up X-rays.
• Extraction. It is chosen when the root is fractured, the tooth is affected by resorption or severe periodontitis, or a small back tooth has broken with an exposed pulp. The tooth is removed surgically, with a check X-ray.

For a young cat a living pulp is especially valuable: while the tooth is young, the root walls are still thin, and it is the pulp that gradually thickens them. That is why, in a young cat with a fresh fracture, vital pulp therapy is the first thing I consider. A case from my practice — three broken canines in a young cat: one had to be extracted, and two were saved with root canal treatment and restoration.

Why the decision is made only after an X-ray

At the examination and consultation I can see the fracture, the tooth’s colour and the gums, and tell you how urgent things are. But whether the root is intact, whether there is resorption, how mature the tooth is and whether infection has reached the bone, only dental radiography shows. It is done under general anaesthesia: the cat must lie completely still, and probing a fracture is painful.

I take X-rays of the whole mouth, not only the broken tooth: in cats they can also reveal other problems — resorption or periodontitis — that need to be included in the plan. Treatment you have agreed to is carried out under the same anaesthesia. More in Why pets need dental X-rays.

What to do in the first days after a fracture

While you wait for the appointment, this is what is safe for your cat:

How to ease pain safely before the visit, and why human medicines must not be given, I explain in Pain relief for toothache in dogs and cats.

1. 01

   Look and take photos

   Gently lift the lip in good light and take a few photos of the fracture. Do not touch the exposed pulp with a finger or a cotton bud.

2. 02

   Remove anything hard

   Switch to wet food for now and put away hard treats and toys your cat chews.

3. 03

   Give nothing from the medicine cabinet

   Human painkillers are dangerous for cats, and paracetamol is especially toxic. Only a vet should choose pain relief.

4. 04

   Book an examination

   The sooner, the better the chance of keeping the pulp alive. If you are not in Kyiv, send photos for an online consultation.

5. 05

   Urgently — the same day

   If bleeding does not stop, swelling grows, your cat is not eating or the fracture happened in a fall from a height.

My cat is eating and not complaining — can it be left untreated?

This is the most common question, and the answer is that it is better not to. Cats hide pain and adapt: they chew on the other side and swallow kibble whole. Meanwhile the exposed pulp becomes inflamed and dies, and once it has died the pain may even ease, so it seems the problem has passed. In fact the tooth becomes a source of chronic infection at the root.

In the case of a cat with a broken canine, the tooth went untreated for more than three years: the canine darkened and the cat refused dry food and toys. After treatment the pain went and the appetite returned. Other signs of hidden pain are in Signs of tooth pain in cats.

How much treating a broken tooth costs

The first step is an examination and consultation or an online consultation with photos. Diagnosis and treatment are carried out under inhalational anaesthesia with dental radiography. The cost of pulp therapy, root canal treatment or extraction depends on the tooth and the amount of work, so I give it after the X-rays.

Frequently asked questions