| |  |
Pet Article
PET DENTAL CARE
As a pet owner would you know if your cat or dog broke its tooth? An aniaml with dental pain
may eat only reluctantly or chew only on one side. A dog may salivate at its food bowl. Cats
will sometimes take a bit of food, then drop it. Most pets will prefer soft food to dry. All
these signs can be missed and the broken tooth could become infected. This in turn could cause
severe and sudden swelling of the animals face, there may also be discharge from the face, chin,
gums or nose.
When a broken tooth is discovered, it is important to determine whether the solf pulp inside
the tooth is exposed. If there is a hole in the broken surface of the tooth, then the pulp is
exposed. If there is no hole, only the superficial part of the tooth is exposed and the tooth
usually does not require any special treatment. Your local veterinarian will be able to check
for pulpal exposure using a small dental explorer.
A tooth that may have worn down over time will have a brown spot that can't be mistaken for a
broken tooth. If your veterinarian using a dental explorer cannot find a hole in the brown
spot, then the tooth is worn down and does not usually need any treatment.
When the tooth first breaks, it will bleed if the soft pulp inside is exposed. At this time
the nerves in the pulp are exposed and the tooth is very painful. The nerves in the tooth
slowly die over a few weeks to months, then there is no pain. The tooth can remain in this
state for months or years.
Bacteria will enter the hole in the tooth and cause inflammation of the tooth root and
surrounding bone. At this time your cat or dog will again feel pain, now though, through the
nerves in the bone. Inflammation is the bodys way of rejecting the dead tooth by destroying
the ligament that attaches the tooth to the bone, but his process may take many years and can
be very painful.
Pet owners have 3 choices when they find their pet has a broken tooth. (1) they can do
nothing, (2) they could have the tooth extracted or, (3) they can save the tooth with a root
canal. If the tooth is treated soon after it breaks, the problems of infection can be avoided.
Untreated younger animals will develop an infection within two years of the break, because the
tooth roots are not yet sealed off. Older animal may not develop an infection, however, once
a tooth if infected there is a greater risk that it cannot be saved with a root canal. While
it is not recommended to let a broken tooth go untreated, if that were the pet owners choice,
then the tooth should be x rayed periodically so that inflammatory changes around the tooth can
be detected and treated.
Pet owners should check their cats and dogs mouths on a regular basis. Inspect the teeth and
be sure the gums are pink and healthy. Look for any teeth that may have fractures or
discoloration. If a tooth does not look normal, tap on it. If this causes pain, then theres
probably an abscess. Your veterinarian will be able to do an x ray of a painful tooth to look
for evidence of bone loss around the tooth which indicates an inflammatory reaction.
For more information about your pet's dental health, contact your local veterinarian.
Mark Woodcock
1 Flea Control
| | |
