Upper/lower worn down teeth

Question
Hi Cindi,
I just stumbled upon this website and have a question about my 3 1/2 year old female German Shepherd.  Over the last six months or so my husband and I noticed that her upper and lower teeth look like they've become flatter, no longer as pointy as they once were.  Also, we noticed a little brown dot in the center of each tooth as well as a vertical brown stain in the front of each of the teeth.  I thought the stains were tarter.  Well, I just brought her to our vet for her annual exam this past month and the vet informed me that her front teeth are actually filed down from chewing on something and that the brown spots are the root canals exposed. I'm am very upset about this.  She never chews on rocks or anything she shouldn't be chewing on.  She does have a favorite small rubber squeaky ball toy that she loves to chomp on over and over again.  Also, a regulation size soccer ball that we kick back and forth to each other (alot of times rather than dribble the ball back with her nose or front paws she will pick it up and carry it in her mouth).  Other than that the only thing else she chews on are the occasional rawhide bone which she chews with her back teeth.  I will be making an appointment for her to see a canine dental specialist but was wondering in your experience have you witnesses this problem before, is it common or painful to the dog and what could happen if left untreated?  Thank you so much for your time.

Answer
You've done exactly the right thing. I wouldn't think that chewing on a rubber toy could wear down her teeth like that, but it depends I suppose on how hard she's chewing and how hard the rubber is. Untreated she could develop abcesses and lose her teeth just as a human can. I'm glad you're so concerned about your dog. I would discourage her from chewing on the rubber ball for now, even take it away from her and give her something a bit softer to chew if possible. No way she's chewing sides of a crate or fence is there? While you're not watching? They can really be sneaky things <g>. The dental specialist will be a world of help and I'm sure can put you on the right track. Try giving her raw carrots and frozen green beans when she craves something to chew, and we've often used the legs of jeans tied into a knot. Softer toys made out of terry cloth might be better on her teeth for now as well. Try to get her more exercise though I LOVE the soccer idea, walk her twice a day until she's tired. Tired is always good :). She's burning a lot of  energy chewing so hard but if you redirect her energy a bit more she might chew less.
thanks for asking
Cindi