Managing fractured teeth

Fractured teeth are commonly encountered in both firstopinion and dental equine practice. Only a relatively small percentage of horses with fractured teeth show clinical signs such as obvious pain, masticatory problems, facial swelling or pyrexia. Teeth may be fractured due to trauma, dental disease (idiopathic fractures) or iatrogenically. Fractured teeth may be described in several ways: according to their cause, traumatic, idiopathic, iatrogenic; by the dental tissues/anatomy involved, enamel infraction (crack), enamel fracture, crown fracture, crown–root fracture, root fracture, alveolar fracture; by involvement of the endodontic system; vital or non-vital, complicated or uncomplicated. Previously fractured teeth with no known history of trauma have been classified as idiopathic fractures, that is those with no definite aetiology. Incisor and canine crown fractures (both complicated and uncomplicated) occur not infrequently due to their unprotected location ...