Download Common Dentistry Problems

Common Dentistry Problems in Pets
Tooth Diagram
 Cavity: The tooth has been fractured or worn down so that the pulp cavity
is exposed. This allows bacteria to enter the tooth and travel into the
bloodstream.
 How did it happen: Chewing on hard objects (rocks, fences, etc), trauma,
or chewing on tennis balls.
 How to fix it: The tooth will either need a root canal (specialist) or needs
to be removed. When bacteria enter the tooth they will travel to the
bloodstream and to the rest of the body. Bacteria can cause infection
elsewhere in the body.
 Slab Fracture: Part of the crown is fractured exposing dentin and possibly
the pulp cavity. The most common tooth fractured is the upper 4th
premolars or the chewing teeth.
 How did it happen: Chewing on hard objects, trauma, fight wound
 How to fix it: If the tooth is infected or dead it will be removed. If the
tooth is still healthy it can be sealed. Sealant may or may not last very
long time depending on your pet's chewing habits.
 Tooth abscess: a tooth root has become infected and a pocket of
infection has formed. The tooth root is very long and ends under the
eye and on the top of the muzzle.
 How did it happen: Broken teeth allow bacteria in, which travel up the
pulp cavity and start an infection. More than one tooth may be
involved.
 How to fix it: Antibiotics to help kill off bacteria, pain medications and
anti-inflammatories. The tooth that is the source of the infection may
need be removed or have a root canal done.

Tooth discoloration or pulpitis: the tooth may be brown, black, pink, or
gray. These are signs of dead teeth.

How did it happen: trauma or infection has caused the pulp cavity to
burst in turn causing the tooth to die.

How to fix it: Remove the tooth. If dead teeth are left they have the
potential to become infected and develop an abscess.
 Resorptive Lesion: The immune system sees the tooth or teeth as a
foreign body and starts to eat away the tooth.
 How did it happen: The animal's immune system is not working
properly. When the immune system eats away at something in the
body it is known as autoimmune. No one knows for sure what
causes this.
 How to fix it: The tooth where resorption is occurring needs to be
removed. Often times pets do better if all teeth are removed.
 Retained teeth: Baby teeth have not fallen out and the adult
tooth has grown in right beside it. This is most commonly seen in
small/toy breeds.
 How did it happen: Normally the adult tooth grows in on top of
the baby tooth, pushing that tooth out. Due to the dog's
genetics. the adult tooth does not grow in correctly and will
grow in next to the baby tooth. The retained tooth may affect
the root of the adult tooth.
 How to fix it: The retained tooth needs to be removed. If the
tooth is not removed it could cause problems with the dog's
bite. It may also collect foreign objects and bacteria due to the
little crevice that is formed between the two teeth.
Normal Dental Radiograph.
 The pulp cavity in the teeth are all the same size. If the pulp
cavity is larger in one tooth vs another then that tooth is
most likely dead.
 The peridontal ligament holds the tooth in the jaw bone. This
is what makes tooth extraction difficult. The ligament is
strong and hard to break. During extraction we stretch the
ligament until it is pliable and too stretched out to hold the
tooth in.
 The bone surrounding the teeth is of equal density and sits
right at the crown line of the tooth.
Abnormal Dental Radiograph
 There is major bone loss surrounding the teeth.
 The periodontal ligament has been eaten away making the
teeth loose.
 Most likely there is infection and odor present.
 The only way to fix the teeth is to extract them. Extraction
would be difficult in this case because the root of the large
molar sits at the end of the jaw bone. Extraction of the tooth
may cause jaw fracture.
This is what a dental radiograph will show. On a physical exam the
molar (large tooth) has minimal tartar present and is slightly loose.
Upon taking an xray it shows that there is bone loss between the
first and second molar. Both teeth should be removed due to the
bone loss and infection starting to those teeth. If the teeth are not
removed the infection could spread to the jaw bone increasing the
risk of a broken jaw.