08 Nov Treatment Options for Dental Trauma in Pets
Dental trauma in pets can be quite painful and may lead to more serious complications if not properly addressed. Treatment for dental trauma largely depends on the type and extent of the injury. Many of these injuries can be treated by your general practice veterinarian, but some ideally should be referred to a board-certified veterinary dentist. Here are some common treatment options based on the severity of the trauma:
1. Fractured Teeth
- Minor Fractures: If a tooth is chipped or has a minor fracture, treatment may include:
- Odontoplasty (smoothing): To smooth out rough edges and prevent further damage. This will make the fractured surface less plaque-retentive and inhibit calculus formation over the damaged area of the crown.
- Bonding: This is done with a dental bonding agent and a resin. These products, when used properly, will make the fractured surface less likely to retain plaque and possibly decrease pain associated with the fractured tooth. These procedures are going to be most beneficial with recent fractures and have decreasing efficacy with older fractures. It should be noted that these procedures will always require general anesthesia of your pet and should always be done in conjunction with dental radiographs or a cone beam CT scan. This will allow your veterinarian to be sure the tooth has not abscessed in response to the fracture. Odontoplasty and sealing should never be done in fractured teeth that have pulp exposure.
- Severe Fractures: If the tooth is fractured deeply or if the pulp (the center of the tooth containing nerves and blood vessels) is exposed, treatment options include:
- Root Canal Therapy: The pulp is removed, the canal is disinfected and filled with specific materials, and the fracture site is restored with dental composite materials. A well-performed root canal procedure will allow the pet to keep much of the structure and function of the tooth and not have to go through a surgical extraction. Root canal treatments should only be performed by board-certified veterinary dentists who have gone through extensive training to properly perform these procedures.
- Crowning: A crown might be placed to protect the tooth from further trauma and restore function. This is a multi-step process. The tooth is prepared at the time of the root canal procedure for a crown and detailed impressions are created at that time. The impressions are then sent to an outside laboratory where a metal crown is fabricated using different alloys and then returned to the veterinary dentist. This is usually within a few weeks. At that time, a brief second anesthetic procedure is required to perform a trial fit. As long as the crown fits properly and has no interference with other teeth, it is cemented into place.
- Extraction: If the fractured tooth is not a strategically important tooth, such as a canine (fang) or carnassial tooth, extraction is most often indicated. However, extraction of a fractured tooth, regardless of which tooth is involved, is never a bad decision. It is removing a painful and infected tooth for the pet. This is also accomplished with root canal therapy, but some teeth may not be good candidates for what is called endodontic therapy. A drawback of tooth extractions is that the pet needs to go through a recovery process where they are fed only soft food and not allowed to have access to chew toys for at least 2 weeks.
2. Loose or Avulsed Teeth (Knocked-Out Teeth)
- If the Tooth is Loose: The loose tooth might need to be stabilized with dental splints or other devices to help it reattach and heal. These are luxated, but not avulsed teeth. However, the procedure is only performed after trauma and not for teeth that are mobile due to long-standing periodontal disease and bone loss.
- If the Tooth is Avulsed (Knocked Out):
- Immediate Action: Rinse the tooth gently with saline or milk (never water) and contact your vet immediately. They can refer you to the nearest veterinary dentist for treatment of your pet.
- Reimplantation: In some cases, the tooth can be reimplanted, though this depends on how quickly the procedure is performed.
- Splinting: The tooth will always need to be splinted in place and anchored to surrounding intact teeth, most often with acrylic, for 3-4 weeks for the surrounding bone to heal. The splint material will need to be removed in a second anesthetic procedure. At that time, root canal therapy will need to be performed since the blood supply of the tooth was severed at the time of trauma.
3. Fractured Jaw or Mandible
- Non-Surgical Management: If the fracture is minor, the jaw may be stabilized using muzzle therapy for a number of weeks. A muzzle should be fitted and oversized by a veterinarian to allow the pet to still eat, drink, and pant while wearing it.
- Surgical Treatment: Jaw fractures often require surgical intervention, which may include:
- Internal Fixation: Plates or screws may be used to align and stabilize the jaw during healing. New technology has been developed where absorbable plates are now available to board-certified veterinary dentists.
- External Fixation: This is often done with acrylic splinting and wiring of the involved teeth and keeping the appliance in place for a number of weeks.
4. Infection and Abscess Formation
- Dental trauma can lead to infection or abscesses around the tooth root.
- Antibiotics: To control bacterial infection, but antibiotics are now used sparingly in veterinary dentistry. Perhaps the most applicable situation for systemic antibiotics is when a dental abscess ruptures out through bone into surrounding soft tissues. This will give the patient symptomatic relief, but will not treat the primary problem.
- Drainage: In some cases, abscesses may need to be drained to reduce swelling and promote healing. This is only done when the abscess has made its way into facial soft tissues.
- Extraction: If the infection is severe and the tooth is beyond saving, it should be extracted. This will treat the primary problem and most often have a good recovery.
5. Pain Management
- Analgesics: Pain management is critical after dental trauma, and your vet will likely prescribe pain relief such as NSAIDs or other medications. It should be stressed that pain relief should always be given to dental trauma patients and is far more important than other medications, such as antibiotics.
Don’t Hesitate — Contact a Vet Dentist in Castle Rock Today
If your pet experiences dental trauma, it’s important to seek veterinary care promptly to minimize pain and prevent long-term damage. In cases of severe dental trauma or jaw fractures, a referral to a veterinary dental specialist may be recommended. If your pet is showing any signs of dental trauma or pain, contact Animal Dental Care & Oral Surgery today to schedule an appointment.
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (11/8/2024). Photo by Alec Favale on Unsplash
