Cervical Line Lesions. Neck Lesions. Resorptive lesions. Feline Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesions. Feline Tooth Resorptionis the new name for a common condition that causes cats to lose their teeth. The condition is believed to occur in 29% to 38% of the “healthy” cat population, with “healthy” here defined as cats whose owners have not perceived a [...]
Recently military working dog (MWD) Ziko suffered a relapse of an endodontic problem affecting an upper canine tooth. In the U.S. military, veterinarians are exclusively assigned to the Army. MWDs requiring veterinary medical care at our nearby Keesler Air Force Base are under the caring eyes of Dr. Lt. Col. Joseph Harre. “Human” endodontics second-year [...]
Mona Lisa has a common problem. Dental calculus and resulting gingivitis have caused tooth loss, including her upper canine teeth. Some pets are more likely to have dental disease than others. Contributing factors include: pH of the mouth/saliva resident bacteria eating soft food inability to brush teeth frequently poor nutrition Mona Lisa is not cooperative for [...]
Dental cleaning and dental prophylaxis (prophy) mean the same thing. Both terms describe the process of preventive care for the mouth, teeth and gums that includes detailed examination, scaling (removal of plaque and calculus) and polishing. In veterinary practice, the first step is preanesthesia laboratory testing. Pets must be anesthetized to have their teeth cleaned [...]
Toothbrushing for dogs and cats is definitely needed for every individual. Just as in people, it’s a process best begun early in life. We brush our pets’ teeth for the same reason we brush our own. Every moment of every day normal bacteria in our mouths combine food particles with minerals in saliva to produce [...]
When we first met Richie he had one tooth that we knew was bad and several that were covered in calculus. “Covered in calculus” turned out to be a key phrase because there was gum disease and tooth damage we couldn’t see under the calculus that covered the adjacent tooth. In the second picture you see [...]
Winston came to see me for what was supposed to be a routine physical examination and vaccination visit. As it turned out, Winston had a “leftover” problem from his last visit, 14 months ago. At that time we had recommended a dental scaling and polishing because of substantial calculus buildup and gum disease, also known [...]
Good pet dental hygiene is important not only for oral health, but for overall health. Dental calculus leads to gum disease. Gum ailments lead to kidney disease, heart disease, abscessed teeth, loose teeth and loss of teeth. Take Richie. Not literally. His owners love him too much. Still, Richie is a good example of a [...]
Your friend’s pet has an ugly secret. You don’t know how to tell his owner without harming your relationship. But, something has to be done. You can’t go over to dinner this Friday night and face it again. Dog Breath. Whew! There, you’ve said it! Your friend’s dog has horrible breath and it’s more than [...]
Here is a real-life example of what can (and did) happen when fear of anesthesia causes a pet owner to delay important needed care. Dutchess came to our hospital in October, 2008, for a routine vaccination visit. We had previously diagnosed cataracts in both eyes, a heart murmur in her chest, a growth that needed [...]
My father used to be an avid tennis player. Does every day and sometimes twice in a day qualify as avid? He had a number of regular doubles partners. One was a dentist, one a cardiologist, a urologist, an internist and one of his fellow teachers. Any medical emergency that might occur on the court [...]
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