Oral Surgery and Extractions
Exodontia: Surgical Extraction of your Pet's Teeth
As veterinary dental specialists, our preference would be to save your pet’s diseased teeth whenever possible Unfortunately, there are many conditions in which that is not possible and which require oral surgery extractions of one or all of your animal’s teeth. These conditions include severe periodontal disease, chronic gingivitis or stomatitis and severely fractured teeth.
Exodontia or tooth extraction is a surgical procedure. The most common indications for tooth extraction in dogs are periodontal disease and tooth fracture, whereas in cats tooth resorption and stomatitis are most frequent. If the disease process is too advanced for the teeth to be saved, extraction is necessary.
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Closed Extraction VS Open Extraction
There are two techniques commonly used to extract teeth; closed and open extraction. Closed extraction is performed without incising into the gum tissue. Open extraction requires the creation of a periodontal flap and removal of alveolar bone in order to loosen the tooth from its attachments to the jaws. Many of the teeth found in both cats and dogs have more than one root and will need to be sectioned into individual root segments prior to extraction. A full or “total mouth” extraction of all the teeth is sometimes performed for treatment of severe oral inflammatory conditions such as stomatitis in cats and less commonly dogs.
When is Tooth Extraction Recommended?
Our veterinary dental specialists will recommend oral surgery extractions of any tooth or teeth that is a source of pain, inflammation or infection in your pet’s mouth that cannot be brought back to normal health and function. Quality of life and function are better for a pet with healthy gums and no teeth at all than one with painful and chronically infected teeth and gums.
Consequences of Oral Disease
For our pets who generally do not have to hunt for their dinners or defend themselves in the wild, teeth are a luxury not a necessity. The consequences of oral disease extend beyond the oral cavity in the form of bacteria and other inflammatory mediators that enter the bloodstream every time the pet tries to eat.
Multifaceted Pain Management
When extractions or periodontal surgery are indicated, we minimize your pet’s discomfort using a multifaceted pain management strategy before, during, and after the surgery. This may include combinations of opioid pain medications, long acting local blocks, and anti-inflammatory medications. Our patients are fed a soft diet at home while the tissue at the surgery site heals. In many cases the pet feels better almost immediately after oral surgery extractions because the diseased tooth was painful to begin with.
Thinking about Anesthesia Free Pet Dentistry?
Call (410) 828-1001 to make an appointment at any of our locations or click below to contact us.
