Dentistry and Oral Surgery
Numerous diseases and abnormalities can affect your pet's mouth, causing local discomfort and pain. Many of these disease my also extend beyond the mouth to affect other organs within the body. Just like people, animals often compensate for a sore tooth by eating on the other side or avoiding hard foods. This protective behaviour can make it difficult to recognise that your pet’s mouth is diseased, making a thorough oral examination an essential component of your pet’s yearly check up.
Periodontal Disease
One of the most common diseases encountered in small animal practice is periodontal disease. This is a plaque-induced infection of the gums and tooth socket. Initially it starts as gingivitis but it can quickly progress into deep infected pockets around the tooth. Not only does periodontal disease cause local inflammation, pain, and bad breath, it also causes bacteria to leak into your pet’s blood stream. Treatment with a combination of professional cleaning by your veterinarian and home care can help control this disease. However, for more severe cases SASH can provide advanced diagnostics and treatment including full-mouth dental radiology and charting with options for advanced periodontal therapy.
Root Canal Therapy (Endodontics)
Fractured teeth are common in pets, either following a traumatic event like being hit by a car, or from chewing toys or bones that are too hard. Tooth fractures can result in exposure of the tooth nerve (pulp), which is very painful and also provides a “highway-like” access for bacteria to enter into the tooth and set up an infection in the jaw (tooth-root abscess). It is not uncommon for dogs and cats to fracture very large and functional teeth and, although extracting the tooth can be an option, root canal treatment may be more appropriate in some cases as it is less invasive and allows your pet to maintain functionality without infection or pain.
Orthodontics
Dogs and cats can be born with abnormal bites. This means that their upper and lower teeth don’t fit together appropriately. Some bites, although abnormal, do not cause trauma. However, others can cause extensive trauma to the soft tissues of the mouth or other teeth. The orthodontic therapy that is offered at SASH will allow your pet’s teeth to be moved gradually into a more appropriate position so as not to cause damage and relieve discomfort and plaque-retentive surfaces.
Oral Medicine
Inflammatory conditions of the mouth can be devastating for the affected cats and dogs, and can cause constant and debilitating pain. Inflammation can be caused by infections or immune system abnormalities. As these diseases often require both surgical and long-term medical management we collaborate with your veterinarian so that we can provide the highest quality of care for your pet in the long term.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Advanced imaging, such as CT scans, are an integral component of addressing abnormalities of the face and mouth due to the complexity of the skull. Oral tumor resections, jaw fracture and cleft palate repair are some of the more complicated surgeries we offer at SASH.
