Pull the tooth or have a root canal?

[Dixieland Dancer]

I took Dusty to the vet yesterday because one of his bottom k9 teeth started to turn black. She thinks he chipped it eating a hard bone or something.

Anyway...the diagnosis is either have it pulled or have a root canal done. To pull it will cost about $150.00 and to have the root canal done will cost about $400.00. The root canal would keep his tooth in place so no other teeth would shift but there is no guarentee that even if I go that route, It won't have to be pulled later. It's a 50/50 chance.

Has anyone else ever had this situation happen to their dog? What did you do? I don't know which way to go with this. If it was your dog, what would you do? Suggestions please.

[micki76]

I would get the root canal done. My Dad had a chihuahua that had three root canals and only one later had to be pulled. At that point, they did two implants for her lower canine teeth.

[jazzcat]

Back in December Disney jumped out of my Jeep and landed on her face on the concrete garage floor. She broke the tip off her top left K9 tooth and loosened another beside it. The vet recommended doing dental surgery and cleaning to see how bad the tooth was. They didn't give me any options, they just pulled both teeth and they warned me before hand that they might break her jaw trying to pull the K9, luckily they did not. She's doing fine without the teeth but she's always had bad teeth and has had a couple others extracted in the past while having her cleanings.

Good luck with your decision.

[Queen of Poop]

Had Sami's tooth pulled. I've had 2 root canals and they're not fun, didn't want to put her thru it.

[lv4dogs]

I have witnessed a lot of teeth pulling & root canals in dogs and cats, and Nanook had one pulled a few years ago.
Personally I would just get the tooth pulled, it is not only easier, faster healing and less painful, it is also cheaper & there will not be any problems in the future as the tooth is already gone.

[bckrazy]

I really don't know enough about this to give good advice, but good luck! poor Dusty.. he is pretty young still, so maybe a root canal would work? It depends if you're willing to spend extra money and have him go through a longer recovery.

Gonzo slightly chipped one of his top molars last year, but only on the outside... it was also probably from a bone . His vet said its fine now, and doesn't hurt him at all, but she said she might have to pull it in a couple years

[lizbud]

Wow, poor Dusty. I've never had a dog with this problem,
so no personal advice. Do you still show Dusty? Would pulling
the tooth affect his show potiential? I guess if this were my dog,
I'd probably have it pulled. Good luck on what ever you decide.

[Dixieland Dancer]

Originally posted by lizbud
Do you still show Dusty? Would pulling
the tooth affect his show potiential?

Thanks everyone for your input.

Liz, yes I still show Dusty. I haven't had him in the breed ring for the past year or so because I was waiting for him to "mature in looks" from a puppy to a handsome man. That transformation has really taken place over the past 6 months or so. I was planning on putting him back in the breed ring starting this spring. If the tooth is pulled, then I won't be able to do that. Basically his conformation showing would be over. I could still compete in obedience and agility though.

My main concern is for what's best for him in the long run. He is still young (will be 4 in May) and I'm worried if the tooth is pulled, will there be shifting of the other teeth which will eventually cause more problems. However, the root canal is not a quarantee either. Even if we do that route now, he may still end up needing it pulled in the future.

[Glacier]

Muskwa had to have one of his upper canines pulled. My vet gave me three options--pull, cap, root canal. He said odds were the first time Muskwa tried to chew a bone, a cap would snap off. He gave us lousy odds on a root canal working--even worse than the 50-50 your vet gave you. We pulled it. Muskwa was back to normal in three days--eating kibble, bones ect. He's never noticed that tooth is missing.

[joycenalex]

alex the wonder dog cracked a tooth 5 years ago, it was discovered during a cleaning i booked cause i noticed he was rubbing his face with his paw. he's now 9 and doing fine with the missing toothspace. occasionally when he does 'love nibbles' my finger gets into the space and i rub the gum, it feels smooth and hard. now if i broke a tooth, would i even go to the vet since i don't have dental insurance this years? hmm