No, we are not talking about “Hollywood Smiles” for pets. Orthodontic care in pets focuses on relieving teeth that are positioned incorrectly and causing pain. Orthodontic care in pets can take many forms, including acrylic appliances, brackets and elastics, and simple extractions.
      One common form of orthodontic care, called “interceptive orthodontics”, is employed when deciduous (baby) teeth are positioned incorrectly, or fail to be shed as the adult teeth erupt. (See the FAQ on “Double Teeth”) The presence of more than one tooth in the same place at the same time can lead to a painful malpositioning of the adult teeth. In some cases, early extraction of the baby teeth will allow the adult tooth to come in normally. To correct the problem, the entire root structure must be extracted. Some breeders will simply “clip” the baby teeth off with nail trimmers, which is painful, often leads to infection under the gum line, and rarely helps the permanent teeth position themselves normally. This practice is not humane, and is discouraged.

Eight week old puppy with the lower incisors incorrectly placed in front of the upper incisors (underbite).	Ulcerated areas where the upper incisors are hitting the lower gums.
	All the deciduous (baby) incisors were extracted. The white lines separate the visible part of the tooth from the root. Note how much longer the roots are by comparison. The entire root must be extracted.

Retained baby canine tooth (long arrow) is pushing the adult tooth (short arrow) to the right, which is crowding the other teeth in this area. The baby tooth was extracted	Retained lower canine teeth (short arrows) are causing the lower adult canine teeth to be displaced toward the inside (longer arrows) of the mouth.

Lower canine tooth is displaced to the inside, and is wearing a hole into the roof -of the mouth. The upper canine tooth has already been moved via the elastic band to make space for the lower canine tooth.	Acrylic appliance fabricated on the patient, with an inclined groove fashioned to direct the lower canine tooth into a normal position.
After one month, the lower canine tooth is now in a normal position.	The splint is removed and the canine tooth is now in a normal, non-painful position. The reddened areas will heal very rapidly after splint removal.

      One additional area where orthodontics is of benefit is in cases where the teeth are hitting one another abnormally. This can lead to fractures or loss of supporting structures of the teeth. Treatment can range from extraction to simple reduction of the tooth size, to active orthodontic repositioning.
      Orthodontic problems require experience to evaluate and treat properly. If you suspect an orthodontic problem in your pet, consult with a veterinarian familiar with these conditions.