Crown fracture without pulp exposure
Enamel and some dentine have broken off, but the pulp is still covered. Exposed dentine is sensitive and lets bacteria through to the pulp, so after radiographs it is sealed with a restoration.
Service
Dental and jaw trauma in dogs and cats
Fractured and discoloured teeth, jaw injuries — diagnosis, and saving the tooth or extracting it where indicated.
Types of dental trauma and why time matters
After a knock, a fall or play with hard objects, a tooth can be damaged in different ways. The type of injury determines whether the tooth can be saved and how urgently treatment is needed.
With dental trauma, time matters: exposed pulp becomes infected more deeply with every day, and the longer a displaced or knocked-out tooth goes without help, the lower the chance of saving it. Animals hide pain well, so calm behaviour does not mean the tooth isn’t hurting.
Crown fracture with pulp exposure
A pink, red or dark dot is visible at the fracture site — that is the pulp. A recent fracture sometimes allows vital pulpotomy; later on, root canal treatment or extraction.
Root fracture
The crown may look intact or only slightly loose, and the fracture line shows only on dental radiographs. Management depends on the level of the fracture.
Luxation
The tooth is displaced in its socket: tilted, pushed into the bone or partly extruded. It needs assessing as soon as possible; the plan depends on how far it has moved and on the state of the root and bone.
Knocked-out tooth (avulsion)
The whole tooth, root included, has come out. Hold it only by the crown, don’t clean or wipe the root, keep it moist — for example in milk — and see a vet straight away.
Discolouration after a knock
A pink, grey or purple tint to the crown points to bleeding into or damage to the pulp, even without a fracture. The pulp’s condition is assessed on radiographs.
What to do straight after a tooth injury
There is only so much first aid you can give at home, but a few steps help you not lose time and avoid making things worse for the tooth.
- ✓Take away balls, sticks, bones and other hard chew items
- ✓Don’t try to pull out a fragment, wiggle the tooth or push it back yourself
- ✓Photograph the tooth if your pet allows, and note when the injury happened
- ✓If the tooth has been knocked out completely, keep it moist and hold it only by the crown
- ✓Don’t give painkillers from your medicine cabinet: some human medicines are toxic to dogs and cats
- ✓Book an examination as soon as possible: with a recent fracture and exposed pulp, hours and days count
When it may be a jaw fracture
This page is about dental injuries. But if after a fall from height, a road accident, a bite or a heavy blow your pet can’t close its mouth, the bite has changed, the face looks asymmetrical, blood is coming from the mouth or it can’t eat, this may be a jaw fracture or another injury to the bones of the head. In cats that fall from height, jaw injuries are not uncommonly combined with a split palate and fractured teeth.
An injury like this needs emergency veterinary care: the animal’s general condition is stabilised first, and then diagnostics and jaw fixation are planned. How I diagnose jaw fractures and which stabilisation and splinting methods I use is described on a separate page.
Jaw fractures in cats and dogs: stabilisation and splinting →
Who this procedure is for
- ✓After a knock, a fall or a road accident
- ✓Fractured, discoloured or loose teeth
- ✓Facial swelling after an injury
- ✓Suspected jaw fracture
Symptoms that may indicate this procedure
How diagnosis works
- ✓Clinical examination under anaesthesia
- ✓Dental X-rays of the whole affected area
- ✓Assessment of jaw bone integrity
- ✓Assessment of the viability of affected teeth
How the procedure works
- ✓Root canal treatment or pulpotomy where indicated
- ✓Crown reduction for traumatic contacts
- ✓Complex extraction of unsalvageable teeth
- ✓Stabilisation for jaw fractures where indicated
- ✓Follow-up X-rays
Why anaesthesia is needed
Treatment for dental and jaw trauma is carried out under anaesthesia with local pain relief at the site.
More on this: anaesthesia in veterinary dentistry.
Technology and equipment
Dental X-rayEndodontic equipmentPiezosurgery
Possible results
- ✓Pain and the source of infection resolved
- ✓Teeth saved wherever possible
- ✓Stabilisation and a recovery plan
What the owner receives after the procedure
- ✓Guidance on soft food
- ✓Pain relief as prescribed
- ✓Follow-up check-ups and X-ray monitoring over time
- ✓No balls, sticks, bones or other hard chew items until the follow-up check
What affects the fee
Cost depends on the severity of the injury and the extent of treatment required. Agreed after diagnostics.
Related clinical case
A saved broken tooth in a Jack Russell Terrier
Jack Russell Terrier · 1.3 years
View the tooth-preservation case →Frequently asked questions
See a vet. Avoid putting pressure on the affected area. A full dental assessment is possible under anaesthesia.
It depends on the state of the pulp and root on X-ray. Sometimes the tooth is saved with root canal treatment; sometimes extraction is the safer option.
Yes. Animals hide dental pain, and exposed pulp becomes infected more deeply with every day. A recent fracture sometimes allows the tooth to be kept alive with vital pulpotomy — ideally within the first 48 hours. The tooth can still be treated later, but the options narrow.
About vital pulpotomy →Warning signs after an injury include being unable to close the mouth, a changed bite, facial asymmetry, bleeding from the mouth, heavy drooling and refusing food. In that case emergency veterinary care is needed first, followed by dental radiographs and a plan to stabilise the jaw.
About jaw fractures →Related services
Endodontics & Tooth Preservation
Root canal treatment and vital pulp therapy to preserve traumatised or diseased teeth where clinically indicated.
How root canal treatment works →Oral Surgery
Complex dental procedures: extractions, soft-tissue work and piezosurgery where indicated.
More about oral surgery →Dental Radiography
Full-mouth X-rays reveal roots, bone and changes hidden beneath the gumline.
How dental radiography works →© dr.vetstomat. Original content.
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