Veterinary Dentistry

Veterinary Dentistry 101

Emily Loveland, CVT BA ⬨ Kristin Richards, CVT BS

Why is it important?

• Dental disease causes significant pain and discomfort for pets (ouch!)
  

Keywords

• Prophylaxis - preventative

• Gingiva - gums

• Furcation - where roots divide into multirooted tooth/bone loss

• Abrasion - tooth scraped away

• Coronal - crown/surface

• Apical - tooth's root

• Buccal - cheek

• Lingual - tongue

• Labial - mouth

• Palatal - palate

• Mesial -middle

• Distal - away

Anatomy of the Tooth

• Enamel: the protective, outer covering of the tooth that surrounds the crown

• Dentin: bone-like matrix that is porous and yellow-hued material

• Gingival sulcus: area of space between a tooth and the surrounding gingival tissue

• Pulp: the innermost layer of your tooth containing nerves, blood vessels, specialized cells, and connective tissues

• Cementum: specialized calcified substance covering the root of a tooth

• Periodontal ligament: a group of specialized connective tissue fibers that attach the tooth to the alveolar bone

Skull Types

• Mesocephalic - “normal”

  • Labs

  • Golden Retriever

  • Orange Tabby 

• Brachycephalic - “squished”

  • Bulldogs

  • Frenchies

  • Shih-Tzus

  • Persian Cats

• Dolichocephalic - “elongated”

  • Greyhound

  • Borzoi

  • Oriental Shorthair

Types of Teeth

• Incisors - cutting and nibbling food

• Canine Teeth - holding and tearing food 

• Premolars - cutting, holding, and shearing food

• Molars - grinding food

Types of Dentition

• Brachydont

  • Having short crowns, well-developed roots and narrow canals in the root

    • Cats, dogs, typical teeth

• Hypsodont

  • High-crowned teeth and enamel extending past the gum line that continue to grow

    • Rodents, rabbits, teeth that need wearing down consistently

• Acrodont

  • Non Rooted and attached directly to the mandibular and maxillary bones

    • Reptiles

• Modified Teeth

  • Tusks (elephants), Horses

Triadan Numbering System

Canine Dental Formula:

2(I3/3 C1/1 P4/4 M2/3) = 42

Feline Dental Formula:

2(I13/3, C1/1 P3/2 M1/1) = 30

What’s a COHAT Anyway?

COHAT stands for Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment

• Visual exam of teeth

• X-rays

• Scaling and polishing

• Possible oral surgery/other treatments

• Sealant application

Charting

Used to assess:

• Gingival pocket depth

• Abrasions

• Fractures

• Furcation exposures

• Mobility 

• And SO MUCH MORE

X-Rays

• Very complicated, a lot of science and geometry

• Can tell a lot about a dog's age, chewing habits, etc.

Cleaning

Steps:

• Brush

• Scale

  • Supragingival 

  • Subgingival

• Polish

Types of Treatments

There are many oral health treatments for veterinary species

• Extraction or crown amputation

• Root planing

• Bonded sealants

• Vital pulp therapy

• Root canal treatment 

• Bone grafts

• Mandibulectomy/Maxillectomy

• Nasal planectomy

• And more!

Sealants

Sealants that can be applied to the sulcus or the crown - preventative

• Oravet Plaque Prevention Gel

• Sanos Companion Animal Veterinary Dental Sealant