My recently rescued dog has a broken left canine. It doesn't seem to cause him any pain - he eats, chews toys, and never rubs his face or whines. The vet said that some believe it causes pain regardless of dog reaction (or lack thereof), while some believe it doesn't bother them. I'm keeping an eye on it until I scrounge up the money to have it removed (a $500-$1500 surgery, ouch). Does anyone have any experience with broken teeth, or opinions on the matter?

I only know that in humans a broken tooth needs to be fixed asap, or it has the potential to become infected, leading to serious illness, not to mention a lot of pain. (My husband has two broken teeth, and one of them is abcessed to boot-- and we can't afford to get them fixed at them moment, nor does he really have the time, since he is a truck driver, and is seldom home.) And I've got a cracked molar that is getting worse, since I never had a crown put on it. Anyway, I can only imagine it isn't all that different for dogs. Think if one of your canines was broken-- ouch! It's bad enough when it's a molar, but a canine is what we take bites with, then push to the back to chew. I'm sorry, I know this only makes you worry more, and fret more about it. I just wanted to tell you I can relate, and I feel your (and your dog's) pain. I hope he can hang in there until you're able to scrape the money together.

When I rescued my dog he had been abused and living in god-knows-what conditions. He was malnourished as a puppy so his teeth have an odd look to them, and some of them are worn to little nubs. His canine teeth though, are slightly broken at the top and the rest of the tooth looks kind of flaky, like it is coming off in layers. The only time he seems to be in pain is when he eats bones, or has a hard toy that he just keeps chewing on. Then he just stands around crying and refusing to let the toy or bone go, despite the pain. That, and he eats really slowly so we give him small kibble.
If you would have a hard time scraping up the money to fix the tooth, I don't think it would be horrible to not fix it. Just give him small food and keep him away from bones. If the surgery isn't to much of a problem for you to get done, then it would probably be better to go with it. You wouldn't want it to cause him problems when he gets older.

[oes forever]

my staffy cross broke his tooth years ago, due to chewing a rock (well he had been told he couldnt chew the house up, nor the fence panels or rose bushes or the garden pond, so he must of been looking for alternatives!)
we took him to the vet, he poked and prodded it but had no reaction to it, the vet said just keep an eye on him and if it causes any discomfort bring him back and we will take it out, that was 3 years ago with no problems since. but not all dogs are the same. just watch how he eats, give him different textures of things and see how he reacts

[wishbone]

I don't any knowledge about that and I feel that's pretty pricey. Like above posts said, always check it out for any remain food formation that causes bad breathe and disease. Hope you could able to see other vet that would price lesser.