When your dog fractures one of his/her teeth, especially the canine teeth, historically putting a metal cap/crown on the tooth along with a root canal, was the treatment of choice. However there appears to be a shift in the dental world away from putting caps/crowns on every single police dog. The work of the dog, the wear pattern on the teeth, the potential future wear of the teeth (bite arm work, chewing on kennels, chewing on balls/bones), the need to return to work and the list goes on, will be factors that the veterinary dentist will take into consideration when recommending crowns. We are hoping to get some local dentists and the RCMP interested in doing a study on this issue. In the pictures below you can see a broken tooth on the left and a different dog with a metal cap on it.
