Re: Grinding teeth

In Reply to: Grinding teeth
Posted by:  Ben
Posted on:  December 30, 2001 at 13:03:23

: I looked at the archives but I did not find this answered yet. My JRT loves to catch frizbees in the air. He also loves to just play with the frizbee by himself. This usually entails knocking it end over end with his nose all around the yard barking constantly(the yard is fenced). His favorite is to get it into a hole in the dirt or one in a cypress tree in our yard. He will actually play by himself for hours or unil he is absolutely exhaused. I think this is great exercise for him and he absolutely loves it. Now to the problem. I noticed to my horror that he has ground down some of the surface of his four incisors? (The big teeth) At first I only used the very soft frizbees. These he would chew up quickly. I went to a harder frizbee but still one that I purchased at the pet store for use by dogs. Is this a common occurance? I have heard of putting caps or something in those teeth for protection. My son tells me there is a titanium used. I know I can check with the vet next time in but do you guys have any suggestions? Thank you in advance and I appologize in advance if this has been answered before and I just somehow missed it. I did type in "grinding teeth" and "teeth" in the search engine.

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Hi Ben,

The "big teeth" you are describing are the canines; the incisors are the little teeth between the canines. I have heard of many terriers who have worn down or broken off their canines due to their obsession with certain toys or behaviors.

A "gradual" wearing down of the tooth is generally okay; the root of the tooth recedes as the tip of the tooth does. It is when the root is exposed (often due to a sudden break) that the tooth is in danger of infection. A dark brown/black dot on the tip of the tooth is the root exposed. If your terrier were "human" and had an exposed root, he would then undergo a root canal and the shell of the tooth would then be capped, or crowned. Or the tooth would be pulled. Canine dentistry is not that different from human dentistry.

I suggest you first check to see if the root has been exposed on any of your terrier's canines; if you are unsure then you should have your vet take a look. If no roots have been exposed then I recommend that you find another, less "abrasive" toy for your terrier to amuse himself with. If any roots have been exposed, you should consult an animal dentist.

Personally, I chose to remove my terrier's cracked molar (the root was exposed) because I was not convinced that the "cap" would survive the strength of her jaw. It is important to remember that any tooth that undergoes an "invasive" treatment is not as strong as it once was...regardless of the material placed over it.