Dog tooth pain : Definition, Causes , Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention and Cost
What is Tooth Pain
Dog tooth ache is a certain sign that something is amiss and can give your dog great misery. Animals frequently adapt to dental pain and display little to no indicators of a disease, making it difficult for their owners to discover.
You could only notice subtle symptoms like increased drooling, blood in their saliva, or a sudden change in behavior when they are caressed around the head or mouth. Other dogs may struggle to eat, chew their food with a preference for one side of their mouth, whimper, or spit food out. Serious pain in a dog may cause them to stop eating, ignore their chew toys, have bad breath, and paw at or rub their face on the ground. A quick mouth check may reveal loose or damaged teeth, gums that are swollen or bleeding, and teeth that are discolored.
Why Tooth Pain Occurs in Dogs
While most dogs can develop a tooth infection or injury, some breeds and individuals may have a genetic predisposition to tumors or retained puppy teeth.
Gingivitis and Periodontal Disease
When food, germs, and your dog's saliva come together to produce plaque on the teeth, gum disease is merely the first symptom. Minerals interact with the plaque in 1 to 3 days, hardening it into tartar that keeps accumulating. Tartar can pull the gums away from the teeth over time, leaving open pockets where bacteria can grow and spread to infect neighboring teeth. The immune system of your dog will attempt to combat the bacteria at the same time by releasing white blood cells, which inflames the gums.
Periodontal disease first manifests as gingivitis, which causes swelling, irritation, and bleeding at the gumline. However, if untreated, it might result in irreparable periodontal disease. That gum inflammation erodes the gums, teeth, and even the jaw bone over time, leading to fractures and bone loss. In the long run, gum disease may even raise your risk of developing liver, kidney, or heart disease.
Tooth Root Abscess
When tartar accumulates and germs have a chance to infect the gums and neighboring teeth, an abscess is an infection that develops. An abscess full of the bacteria grows and becomes exceedingly painful when the tooth root starts to erode. An injury that breaks the tooth or damages the enamel's barrier function, which stops bacteria from penetrating the tooth, can also cause an abscess to develop. Abscesses frequently lead to tooth loss, and the bacteria within them have the potential to spread to other parts of the mouth, the nasal cavity, and eventually the entire body.
Tooth Decay
A tooth is made up of various pieces, including the crown above the gum line and the root below the gum line that fits into the jaw bone. The pulp, which is located in the core of the tooth and contains the nerves and blood arteries that provide the tooth with nutrition, is shielded by a layer of dentin that is lined with microscopic canals. Bacteria are prevented from entering the tooth by the enamel, a tough, protective layer that covers the dentin.
Plaque causes the enamel to erode, allowing bacteria access to the dentin, which can lead to tooth decay or a cavity. If the decay is not treated, it worsens and eventually destroys the tooth, causing pain and eventual tooth loss.
Broken or fractured teeth
Enamel loss can happen when a tooth fractures or breaks. Even the dentin or the tooth pulp may be immediately exposed in severe breaks. Once inside the tooth, bacteria can start the processes that lead to decay, abscesses, and oral disease. Teeth that have been broken or shattered as a result of an accident. However, chewing on hard objects like toys, real or nylon bones, antlers, crate bars, or ice often results in breaks and fractures.
Oral tumors
Both cancerous and benign abnormal growths in the mouth have the potential to shift teeth as they develop. While cancerous growths may have a genetic component, non-cancerous tumors can arise from periodontal disease, a gum or tooth infection, or both.
Retained baby teeth
When a dog's baby teeth remain in place rather than erupting, they may cause a number of problems as the adult teeth erupt. These include misaligned teeth, abnormal bites that could harm your dog's mouth, misaligned jaws that make it difficult to bite or chew, and, occasionally, excruciating pain that prevents a dog from eating.
Dog Tooth Pain Symptoms
Because dogs cannot express their pain in words like humans can, it can be challenging to determine when they are experiencing pain. Being able to recognize the warning signs and symptoms that your dog might be in pain is an essential skill for pet owners.
There are various causes of tooth discomfort in dogs. Dogs can also get cavities, and some of the most frequent causes are infections or swollen gums, a fractured tooth, and tartar buildup. If you don't treat your dog's oral pain, it could lead to more serious health issues like infections, tooth loss, and other systemic problems.
You may learn more about how dogs display pain in the mouth region by reading this guide. Some of the most typical symptoms and indicators are listed below:
Unusual Drooling
Dogs drool when they are chewing on treats and toys, but when they have tooth pain, they may drool more frequently. The salivary glands work extra hard anytime there is pain or injury in the mouth, which is the cause of this.
Blood may occasionally be discernible in the saliva. If this is the case, you should take your dog to the clinic right away because he might be dealing with anything more serious.
Bad Breath in Dogs
Dogs with good health don't usually have terrible breath. Your dog may be experiencing a dental issue if his breath starts to smell bad. Bad dog breath may indicate that your dog has an infection or decayed teeth, both of which could be the source of her tooth pain.
Loss of Appetite
When a dog has dental pain, he might not eat as much as he normally does since chewing might hurt. You might see him start to eat and then stop. Additionally, he might spit out his food or whine while eating.
Take your dog to the vet right away if his appetite suddenly changes, regardless of whether the cause is tooth pain. Loss of appetite is a symptom that may be linked to many health issues.
Sneezing and Nasal Discharge
Untreated gum disease may lead to thinning of the bone separating the nasal and oral cavities. Sneezing and nasal discharge are two indicators that this might have happened. This occurs in advanced cases of gum disease in the upper canine teeth.
Your Dog Has Been Chewing on One Side of the Mouth Only
A dog may only chew on the side of his mouth that isn't hurting when he has dental discomfort, much like humans do. If something accidently contacts the painful side while in his mouth, he can drop the food or toy he's holding there.
Sudden Shyness
If your dog usually enjoys being petted but then starts to turn his head away from your hand, he might be acting timid due to tooth pain. He simply doesn't want you to touch his head out of concern that it will make him feel worse.
Visible Changes in Your Dog's Mouth
When something is wrong in your dog's mouth, you might sometimes be able to tell just by looking inside his mouth, which is something you should do frequently to maintain your dog's oral health.
During an oral examination, you might detect a swelling on one side of his mouth, inflamed or bleeding gums, cracked or missing teeth, or lesions on his gums.
what can i give my dog for tooth pain relief
You should see your veterinarian if you experience dental pain of any kind. They will perform an oral examination to search for any obvious symptoms of infection or injury to the teeth or gums. They can occasionally see the issue, such as decay on a specific tooth or an abscessed area. Before they can determine what is causing the tooth pain, they may need to perform a more thorough examination and an oral cleaning.
Your dog will require anesthesia so that a cleaning and more in-depth examination may be performed. Your veterinarian will perform a complete examination of the teeth and gums, perform a cleaning and remove tartar, as well as take dental X-rays to aid in the diagnosis. This might be sufficient to relieve your dog's tooth pain in gingivitis cases. Your veterinarian may decide to treat the problem right away or schedule a second appointment for additional reasons.
Treatment options for broken or fractured teeth, tooth root abscesses, and other dental problems include extraction of the affected tooth, which is typically followed by the prescription of antibiotics and painkillers, or root canal therapy, which removes the infected tooth's pulp and replaces it with enamel to stop the bacterial infection. A vital pulpotomy, which helps the residual pulp to create a new dentin wall, can also be used to heal a fractured or broken puppy tooth.
Treatment for cavities depends on how severe the decay is; in mild cases, a fluoride varnish or bonding agent will suffice to prevent further cavity development. In more severe cases of tooth decay, the affected enamel and dentin must be removed and replaced with a cap, a root canal, or tooth extraction.
Surgery can be used to remove tumors, and their cancerousness can be determined. Radiation and chemotherapy are frequently used after removing the cancerous tissue and any nearby tissues. Any type of tumor might come back, so your dog should have routine dental exams to identify them early. For both adult teeth that have fragmented from crowding and retained puppy teeth, tooth extraction is the main treatment.
If your dog has extensive periodontal disease, the affected teeth, gums, or other tissues may need to be surgically removed. Often, a thorough gum cleaning is required, and to aid with healing, antibiotics, bone growth stimulants, and sealants may be used. While periodontal disease cannot be cured or reversed, its progression can be halted with regular preventative care.
How to prevent dog tooth pain
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If left untreated, oral problems and pain can prevent your dog from living a full life and even put their lives in danger. However, while some injuries cannot always be prevented, most tooth and gum problems can be avoided.
Brushing your dog's teeth is, by far, the best thing you can do to stop the majority of oral issues that result in tooth pain. Brushing teeth frequently prevents bacteria from building plaque and tartar, just like it does for humans. This straightforward action can stop gum disease, decay, infections, and abscesses in their tracks. However, there are additional techniques to aid in the prevention of or early detection of dental diseases before they discomfort your dog.
There are several ways to keep your dog's teeth healthy.
_cleaning your dog's teeth every day
_Check your dog's mouth frequently for growths, odors, inflamed or bleeding gums, and tooth injuries.
_Set up yearly oral examinations with your veterinarian.
_Avoid offering your dog splinter-prone wood, hard bones, or chew toys.
_Feed your dog a nutritious diet.
If your dog is uncomfortable having a toothbrush in their mouth, experiment with different brushes, rinses, or medicated dental chews to keep their mouths clean and prevent the growth of bacteria.
Cost of Tooth Pain
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The cost of dental pain treatment might vary greatly depending on the cause and seriousness of your dog's disease. A straightforward cleaning to remove tartar and treat gingivitis typically costs around $175, while severe gum disease treatments can cost up to $350 or more. A root canal can cost between $1,500 and $3000, whereas having a tooth extracted due to damage, decay, abscess, or retention might cost between $100 and $300. Anesthesia, blood tests, and X-rays are expenses that may be incurred when performing oral operations, cleanings, and diagnostic procedures.