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Pet Dental Health Month
“She is doing very well after her dental work…Kosh doesn’t seem to be in any pain, in fact her energy level has increased (especially at 3AM!) and she has been eating well without any problems chewing.” - October, 2005
Ginger, a Boxer, was almost five years old when her veterinarian in Northeast Columbus referred her to us for gingival hyperplasia (an overgrowth of gingival tissue) and halitosis (bad breath). Ginger had a history of fainting episodes with exercise. Before any dental work could be performed a cardiac workup was recommended. Once a diagnosis of “Boxer Cardiomyopathy” was made and a treatment plan established, Ginger had her teeth cleaned, a gingivectomy (a reduction of the overgrown gingiva) performed, and several diseased teeth extracted.
Guiness, a four-year-old German Shepherd, tried to chew his way out of his crate fracturing several teeth. Luckily most of the fractures were superficial. One canine tooth however needed root canal therapy in order to seal the canal and protect against a painful tooth abscess.
After sliding full speed into an immovable object Chucky, a two-year-old domestic shorthair cat, fractured both of his lower canine teeth. One tooth was beyond repair and was extracted. The other had a root canal performed. Things looked great at his recheck visit and we will see him again in February when we will take a follow-up dental x-ray to make sure the root canal is stable.
Wendy, a domestic shorthair cat, was referred to us by a veterinarian in Coshocton. She was suffering from a very painful condition known as feline faucitis/stomatitis. Basically, her whole mouth was severely inflamed. There can be several causes for this condition and several treatment options. In Wendy’s case, the best therapy was full mouth extractions. She was already missing a few teeth due to the faucitis/stomatitis complex but Dr. Tom still had twenty teeth to extract.
The first time we saw Haley, a Shetland Sheepdog, was in 1999 when she had a canine tooth that had erupted in an improper position and was causing a severe malocclusion. We moved the tooth into proper occlusion with an orthodontic appliance. Her family had to make several trips up from Louisville, KY for adjustments to the appliance. We saw her again in September, 2005 for treatment of a periodontally diseased tooth and two fractured teeth, one had a root canal and one was extracted. The periodontally diseased tooth, once it had been cleaned and root planed (a smoothing of the root surface), had an antibacterial product applied directly into the space between the root and the surrounding structures. This space is caused by the bacteria in plaque and tartar. Generally with this treatment and good follow-up care, the affected tooth can be saved. In fact, at her recheck in November, she was doing very well. Some of the conditions we reported here are preventable. Regular oral care is recommended for our pets just as it is for us. Daily brushing not only reduces the risk of periodontal disease, it offers the pet owner a chance to take a look at their pet’s teeth to check for oral conditions that need to be addressed. Visit our February, 2004 newsletter to learn how to brush your pet’s teeth and to learn about other products you can use to control bad breath and reduce plaque and tartar accumulation. Visit our February, 2002 and February, 2003 newsletters to learn more about the different stages of periodontal disease. Some of the conditions we reported on here are not preventable. These cases do however highlight the importance of good oral examinations. These are all conditions that cause pain. We understand that many pets don’t show any outward signs of pain, but it is there and it needs to be relieved. We get many post dental work reports from pet owners that tell us their pets are acting better than they did before the procedure. Often, that’s when the owner recognizes that their pet had been in pain. Radiowave Surgery - New surgical instrument
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Sign up for your free Pet Portal today! All we need is your email address. We will then send you a password so you can log on to your Pet Portal through our website front page.
Your Pet Portal is safe and secure. Your pet’s private information is only shared between you and East Hilliard Veterinary Services. Your email address will only be used for your Pet Portal and correspondence from East Hilliard Veterinary Services. If you are already using your Pet Portal please let us know. Also available on your Pet Portal is a client survey. This is your chance to give us feedback about how we can best serve you and your pets. It is a completely confidential survey and only takes a few minutes. The Doctors and Staff at East Hilliard Veterinary Services are happy to make Pet Portals available to our clients and hope that it furthers our goal of maintaining the health and happiness of our patients.
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Travis, a five-month old Viszla, came to us from NW Columbus. He had two retained baby teeth causing a malocclusion so severe that he could not chew properly or even close his mouth. The two baby teeth were extracted and a surgical incline plane (basically, a groove in the gum) was created to allow the lower canine tooth to slide into its proper position allowing Travis to close his mouth and chew properly. About three weeks later at the recheck visit all the teeth were in normal occlusion and Travis was doing great.
Osa, a three-year-old Golden Retriever, is a hospice therapy dog but she has made a hobby of breaking her teeth. In August of 2004 we did a root canal on a fractured canine tooth. In March of 2005 she came back to see us with another canine tooth fracture. This time the fracture was so extensive that aside from doing a root canal, Dr. Tom had to perform an apical repositioning flap of the gum in order to save the tooth. At her recheck visits in April and November everything looked great.
The Airedale Terrier Rescue and Adoption organization in Yellow Springs, Ohio brought Charlie, a one-year-old Airedale, to us in December. He had a mass where his upper right canine tooth should be. A biopsy showed the mass to be a papillary squamous cell carcinoma that responds well to excision. Dr. Tom performed a partial rostral hemi-mandibulectomy. This just means he removed a large section of Charlie’s jaw. The referring veterinarian sent us digital photos in January and Charlie is healing well. The rescue organization reports he is acting great!
Divot is a seven-month-old Dachshund who came to us in July from a veterinarian in Dublin for consultation on his severe overbite. One of Divot’s lower canine teeth was making a hole in the roof of his mouth. Dr. Tom performed a crown reduction followed by vital pulp therapy to seal the root canal. At his recheck visit in November, everything seemed to be fitting together OK. He’ll always have the overbite but now he can close his mouth without pain.
Libby, a nine-month-old Toy Fox Terrier came up from Middletown, Ohio in early July for a malocclusion consultation. She had two retained baby teeth that had displaced the adult canine teeth and some of the incisors.
Dr. Tom extracted the baby teeth and two of the incisors and gave Libby a couple of weeks to see if the canines would move into a more normal position.
However, the occlusion did not improve significantly. He installed an orthodontic appliance with buttons and an elastic “chain” (yes, just like kids get).
By the end of August, the canines had moved enough that Libby could have her appliance removed. Her bite is now comfortable and functional.
The Ohio State University referred Tisha, a ten-year-old Siamese mix, to us for periodontal therapy and a “suspicious” tooth. The tooth in question had a resorptive lesion, a painful condition seen in many cats. The cause of resorptive lesions is not fully understood even after many years of research. For the patient’s sake this condition needs immediate attention. Dr. Tom extracted the affected tooth and we cleaned the rest of her teeth. Tisha was better than ever within a day or two of the dental work.
Baxter was also referred to us from the Ohio State University. He is an eleven-year-old German Shorthair Pointer who, at his last visit to OSU, was diagnosed with a carie. A carious lesion is very similar to a cavity that humans get. In Dr. Tom’s exam he found a second carie. The first carie had extended into the root canal and abscessed. Because of the severity of the carie, that tooth had to be extracted. The second carie that Dr. Tom found was superficial and could be cleaned out and filled. The owner reported Baxter did very well after his dental work.
Kosh is a two-year-old domestic shorthair cat who was only in her new family for about two weeks when she was taken to her veterinarian in Powell for the first time. During the exam, the doctor found a fractured canine tooth and referred them to us for treatment. The dental x-ray revealed the fracture extended well down the root of the tooth and, based on the size of the root canal, had occurred when Kosh was quite young. Extraction of the tooth was the only option. At her recheck visit in November everything had healed nicely.
“Ginger is doing great. I expected her to be at least uncomfortable, but she seems better than a few days ago, before the procedure! It is no problem giving her medication, and I bought some soft kibble for her. We are heading outside for some play now.” – November, 2005
“The big silly baby is back to playing with all of his toys and wrestling with the neighbor’s dog. Can’t even tell that he’d had any problem.” - November, 2005
“Chucky’s appetite is robust and he seems content although it’s hard to know, of course, what a cat is feeling.” – September, 2005
“…She is eating what ever she wants hard or soft. Wendy is her old self, 100 paws an hour in a 10 paw an hour zone. She will be going to her first cat agility contest and show since her surgery. Anyone that asks me if I know a dental group for cats, you will be it, hands down, no one else. Again, thanks to everyone for being so kind and gentle with Wendy, and giving me my old Wendy back.” - December, 2005
“Thanks so much for the excellent dental care. Haley told me today that had she known a sore tooth would equal canned food she would have done this earlier!” – October, 2005