Tratamiento de Dientes Rotos en Perros | Guía Veterinaria España

By Sarah Bennett, Certified Animal Nutritionist | Updated June 2026

A broken tooth is one of the most common — and most commonly overlooked — dental injuries in dogs. Because dogs rarely cry out in pain, owners often discover the damage days or even weeks after the injury occurred. Understanding the type of fracture your dog has sustained, and what treatment is appropriate, can mean the difference between saving the tooth and losing it entirely — and in serious cases, between early treatment and a painful systemic infection.

Types of Tooth Fractures in Dogs

Not all broken teeth are created equal. Veterinary dentists classify tooth fractures based on the layers of tooth structure involved, and the classification determines both urgency and treatment options.

Uncomplicated crown fracture — This fracture involves only the enamel and dentin layers of the tooth crown. The pulp chamber (the soft inner tissue containing nerves and blood vessels) remains intact and is not exposed. These fractures are painful because exposed dentinal tubules connect to nerve endings, but they are not immediately life-threatening to the tooth. Over time, the exposed tubules may stain yellow or brown — a sign of an older uncomplicated fracture. Prompt veterinary attention is still warranted to seal the exposed surface and assess the extent of the damage with dental X-rays.

Complicated crown fracture — This is the fracture that constitutes a dental emergency. When the break extends into the pulp chamber, the soft tissue inside — containing the nerve and blood supply — becomes exposed to the oral environment. Bacteria enter immediately, causing pulpitis (inflammation), pulp necrosis (tissue death), and ultimately periapical abscess: a painful infection at the root tip that can spread to the jaw and surrounding tissues. A visible pink or red spot at the fracture site, active bleeding from the tooth, or facial swelling are all signs of a complicated fracture. Same-day veterinary care is non-negotiable.

Root fracture — Fractures below the gumline are among the most difficult to identify without dental radiography. A root fracture may show no obvious visible damage on the crown, yet the tooth is unstable and the root is compromised. These are typically diagnosed during routine dental radiographs or when investigating a tooth that is mobile or associated with swelling along the gumline. Root fractures usually require extraction.

Slab fracture — Particularly common in large and working breeds, a slab fracture occurs when a large wedge of enamel and dentin shears off the tooth, often exposing underlying dentin and sometimes the pulp. The upper fourth premolar — the carnassial tooth — is the most frequent casualty because of its size and the enormous bite force applied during hard chewing. The sheared chunk may turn up in the food bowl or on the floor. The culprits are almost always excessively hard objects: deer antlers, raw or cooked bones, hard nylon bones, and ice cubes given as treats. Slab fractures in large dogs are a near-daily occurrence in veterinary dental practices, and they are almost entirely preventable.

Is Your Dog's Broken Tooth an Emergency?

The single most important indicator is pulp exposure. When you examine the fracture site with good lighting, look for the following:

• Pink or red spot or tissue at the center of the fracture — this is exposed pulp, and it means the tooth is compromised. Seek same-day veterinary care.
• Active bleeding from the tooth — blood at the fracture site indicates the pulp has been breached.
• Facial swelling below the eye or along the jaw — this suggests an abscess has already developed, which is a true emergency requiring immediate care.
• Yellow or brown discoloration at the fracture without a visible pink center — this typically indicates an older uncomplicated fracture where the dentinal tubules have stained over time. Less urgent, but still needs veterinary evaluation within a few days to seal the exposed surface and check for deeper involvement via X-ray.

If you are unsure whether pulp is exposed, treat it as an emergency until your veterinarian confirms otherwise with dental radiographs. There is no safe way to assess pulp involvement from the outside alone, and waiting only worsens the infection and reduces treatment options.

Signs Your Dog Is in Dental Pain

Dogs are remarkably stoic — a survival trait that means dental pain often goes undetected for weeks. Watch closely for these behavioral and physical signs:

• Pawing at the mouth or face, or rubbing the face against furniture or the floor
• Reluctance to eat hard kibble or treats, or a sudden preference for wet food over dry
• Dropping food from one side of the mouth — a strong indicator that chewing on one side is painful and the dog is compensating
• Facial swelling, particularly below the eye (associated with the carnassial tooth) or along the lower jaw
• Behavior changes — increased irritability, reluctance to be touched around the head and muzzle, withdrawal from play or social interaction, or uncharacteristic snapping when the face is approached
• Excessive drooling, or drooling that is blood-tinged
• Foul breath that appears suddenly — a sign of infection or tissue necrosis inside the tooth

Any single one of these signs warrants a veterinary call. In combination, they indicate that pain is already significant and will not resolve on its own. The longer a broken tooth with pulp exposure goes untreated, the greater the bacterial load in the root canal system and the more complex — and costly — the treatment becomes.

Treatment Options Explained

Once your veterinarian has taken dental radiographs and confirmed the type and extent of the fracture, three main treatment paths are available. The right choice depends on fracture type, how long ago the injury occurred, and your dog's overall health and anatomy.

Vital Pulp Therapy (Direct Pulp Capping)

This procedure aims to preserve the living pulp and keep the tooth biologically active. The exposed pulp is carefully cleaned, a medicament (typically calcium hydroxide or mineral trioxide aggregate) is applied to stimulate a protective dentin bridge, and the tooth is sealed with a composite restoration. Vital pulp therapy is only suitable for teeth with recent complicated crown fractures — ideally performed within 48 hours of the injury, before bacterial contamination of the pulp has progressed significantly. It is not appropriate for older fractures where the pulp tissue has already begun to die, or for teeth with existing periodontal disease. When it succeeds, the tooth retains its function and vitality, which is particularly valuable for canine and carnassial teeth. The time sensitivity is the key limitation: miss the 48-hour window and this option is no longer viable.

Root Canal Treatment (Endodontic Therapy)

Root canal therapy is considered the gold standard for treating complicated crown fractures where vital pulp therapy is not feasible. The pulp tissue is fully removed from the root canal system, the canals are cleaned, shaped, and disinfected, then filled with an inert material (gutta-percha) and the crown is restored with composite. The tooth no longer has a blood or nerve supply, but the root and crown structure remain intact and fully functional. A specialist veterinary dentist typically performs this procedure. Root canal treatment is appropriate for fractures of any age and is the preferred option for high-value functional teeth — particularly the canine teeth and carnassials — where extraction would cause significant and permanent loss of function. Referral to a specialist adds cost, but the outcome is superior for complex cases.

Extraction

Surgical extraction removes the tooth entirely. It is the most straightforward option, carries no ongoing monitoring requirements, and is typically the most affordable single procedure. However, extraction is permanent. Loss of a canine tooth changes the alignment of the lips and remaining teeth; loss of a carnassial tooth eliminates a key shearing surface. Extraction is the appropriate first choice for root fractures, for teeth with extensive periodontal disease, for patients where anesthesia time must be minimized due to health concerns, or when cost constraints make specialist referral impractical. Multi-rooted teeth — premolars and molars — require surgical sectioning and are more complex extractions than single-rooted incisors, with correspondingly higher cost and recovery time. Dogs adapt well after extraction and live comfortably without the affected tooth.

What It Will Cost

Dental treatment costs vary considerably by region, practice type (general practice vs. veterinary dental specialist), and the complexity of the specific tooth involved. The following ranges reflect typical costs in North America and Western Europe:

• Initial veterinary exam: $50–$150
• Full-mouth dental radiographs under anesthesia: $150–$300
• Vital pulp therapy: $1,500–$3,000 (specialist procedure; time-sensitive)
• Root canal treatment: $1,500–$3,000 — higher end for multi-rooted teeth and specialist fees
• Extraction: $300–$1,500 — simple single-rooted teeth sit at the lower end; canines and carnassials, which require surgical sectioning or specialized technique, sit at the higher end

Pet dental insurance that covers accidents and illness can substantially offset these costs. If cost is a barrier, discuss extraction with your veterinarian — it remains a humane and effective option. What is never acceptable is leaving a tooth with pulp exposure untreated. The resulting abscess and chronic infection cause significant, ongoing suffering and can ultimately cost far more to manage than prompt treatment would have.

Preventing Broken Teeth

The leading cause of slab and complicated crown fractures in dogs is a single, entirely preventable factor: excessively hard chew objects. The rule of thumb used by veterinary dentists is simple and memorable — the thumbnail test. Press your thumbnail firmly into the chew item. If it does not flex or dent under that pressure, it is too hard for your dog's teeth. Antlers, hooves, cooked bones, raw marrow bones (specifically the dense weight-bearing femur and tibia), and hard nylon bones all fail this test. They may seem indestructible and satisfyingly long-lasting, but that durability comes at the cost of your dog's enamel and potentially their health.

Safer alternatives that satisfy a dog's chewing drive without fracture risk include:

• Rubber chew toys rated for heavy chewers but with visible flex — if the toy bends, the tooth can too, distributing force safely
• VOHC-approved dental chews — the Veterinary Oral Health Council evaluates dental products for efficacy; their seal indicates the product has been clinically shown to reduce plaque or tartar in dogs or cats
• Rawhide alternatives such as bully sticks, collagen chews, or split antler alternatives, which are digestible and yield under pressure rather than resisting it
• Supervised raw meaty bones appropriately sized to your dog — raw bones are less brittle than cooked, but supervision remains essential, and cooked bones of any kind should never be given

Combine safe chew choices with regular tooth brushing (daily is ideal; several times per week is realistic for most households) and annual or biannual veterinary dental examinations under anesthesia. Dental radiographs during routine cleanings catch fractures and periapical changes invisible to the naked eye — many teeth that appear structurally intact on the surface harbor significant disease at the root tip.