Periodontal disease - a primer on recogn...

Periodontal inflammation is the most common syndrome affecting small animals. In no other area of the body can the dedicated veterinarian and dental team make a lifelong difference in patient health and longevity. AnatomyThe term periodontium describes tissues that surround and support the teeth including the gingiva, alveolar bone, periodontal ligament, and cementum. In the dog, the healthy free gingival margin of premolars and molars is 1-2 mm coronal (toward the crown) to the cementoenamel junction (CEJ), where root cementum meets the enamel. In the feline, the free gingival...

Explore the options for dental treatment...

Creating a dental treatment plan can be frustrating. As with other veterinary disciplines, dental diagnosis and care is one-third recognition of disease, one-third understanding anatomy and medical principles, and the last third performing needed care. Fortunately, the general practitioner or a close referral can manage most dental cases. Let’s review progressive options based on your technician’s exam findings: Photo 2: No endodontic or periapical pathology evident on intraoral radiograph. 1. Do nothing with the observed pathology other than future...

Functional occlusion: I’m OK, but ...

I hung up the receiver after explaining to one of my clients why his “normally” undershot Shih Tzu’s maxillary incisors needed be removed because they were penetrating the mandibular gingiva. How could this perfectly “normal” dog be abnormal? A book I read many years ago, titled “I’m OK, you’re OK” (Thomas A. Harris, 1973) seemed to apply to breeds and the problems unique to each animal. Harris theorized there are four types of relationships between people or organizations:   How does this apply to orthodontics?...

Examining new classifications of tooth f...

 When a dog or cat presents with lethargy or pale mucous membranes and anemia is suspected, the ultimate treatment and prognosis starts with successfully categorizing the problem. Is the anemia regenerative or non-regenerative? Each form takes the practitioner down a different treatment path. Keep in mind that exposure of the pulp to the oral environment is the major dividing point in the care of dental fractures. If the pulp is exposed, it’s considered a complicated fracture. If not, it’s an uncomplicated fracture. Like anemia, once the major category is identified,...

Management of acute feline temporomandib...

The lower jaw of the cat on your exam table is displaced to the left (Photo 1). Is the mandible or maxilla fractured? Or is the mandible luxated? If so, right or left? What is the best way to diagnose and treat this problem? Can you as a general practitioner handle it, or must the case be referred to a boarded orthopedic or dental specialist? First, the patient needs to be stabilized. In that trauma probably caused this presentation, the patient should be evaluated and treated for life-threatening non-oral injuries if present. Once stable, anesthesia is needed for a thorough...