We rarely see such a dramatic case that highlights the importance of preventive dental care. This little toy breed dog came in a few months ago with some of the worst dental decay we have ever seen. Due to the delicate nature of the jaw bone in small dogs, it doesn’t take much bone loss from dental disease to lead to jaw fracture. The fine white lines (black and green arrows) on these pictures are all that is left of this guy’s jaw, less than a millimeter in some places. The red arrow is where the jaw broke. Unfortunately this did not have a happy ending and what makes it especially sad is that it could have been prevented.
