We have a 12 year old terrier-cross (rescue dog)…yesterday he wrestled with a lizard and afterwards I found a tooth on the kitchen floor. He is eating fine & seems happy…should I take him to the vet?

Good to know he’s eating fine and seems happy, although one tooth down! At 12 years old, my concern is that the underlying reason the tooth fell out during the lizard wrestle was not because of the lizard at all, but rather because the tooth was already loose due to periodontal disease.

Periodontal disease is really common and means that the tissue supporting the tooth has become inflamed and infected making the tooth loose and therefore more easily able to fall out. These dogs often have bad breath due to the infection in their mouth. Often these dogs behave completely as normal until the pain reaches a point that they cannot.

If the tooth is completely intact, with no root left behind and he is happy in himself then it’s not a big deal. However, if the toot is fractured, there is risk of infection in the remaining tooth root which can be a source of inflammation and pain.

I would recommend you have Kips mouth examined closely, so the health of the remaining teeth and be assessed. Then a plan can be made to best look after his remaining teeth!

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Chat soon,

Dr Claire