Pet dental care is a vital element of caring for a pet, yet often neglected. Nonetheless, our pet’s teeth and mouths should be adequately healthy as well. Many pets are more dependent on their jaws and teeth than people are in many aspects. For instance, when dogs and cats can not use their arms, they may pick up and carry things with their teeth and play games. When it comes to oral issues, pets feel just as bad as we do; therefore, any problems that affect them can be painful and unpleasant.
What Causes Tooth Extraction in Pets?
There are several reasons to extract a dog or cat’s tooth. Some oral issues that lead to tooth extractions can be avoided or at least mitigated. The most common reasons for tooth extraction are severe periodontal disease, tooth fracture, endodontic illness, tooth resorption, and caries or cavities.
The decision to remove a painful, unhealthy tooth is always better than keeping the tooth in the mouth untreated. If your pet already has serious dental problems, you can go to facilities like TLC Animal Clinic to help you diagnose your pet’s condition and provide you with the best treatment available.
Periodontal Disease
Periodontal disease is a common health problem in dogs and cats. It occurs when the immune system attacks plaque bacteria, causing periodontal tissue loss. Periodontitis begins in the gums. Inflammation of the soft tissue can cause infection of the surrounding bone. Periodontal disease increases the loss of tooth attachment. Loss of periodontal attachment can quickly result in tooth loss, requiring extraction.
Complicated Crown Fractures
Complicated crowns are tooth fractures that expose the blood vessels and nerves. Difficult crown fractures are painful, infectious, and dead or dying. Injuries to the mouth can lead to tooth fractures in our pets. It is common for our pets to have tooth fractures when they chew on hard objects like rocks, antlers, playthings or if they suffer an unexpected oral trauma. It’s not enough to keep an eye on teeth with fractures.
They should always be treated with root canal treatment or surgical extraction as soon as possible. If you need assistance with your dog & cat surgery regarding complicated crown fractures, a veterinary dentist can suggest which surgical procedures are the most appropriate course of action.
Tooth or Root Resorption
Tooth resorption is a condition that can affect both dogs and cats. This illness leads to tooth structural loss, nerve exposure, as well as pain. Tooth resorption is a relatively common occurrence in cats, affecting around one-third of the feline population. Pets suffering from tooth resorption may exhibit subtle behavioral changes in their eating habits. Extraction is always the recommended therapy for tooth resorption with nerve exposure.
Cavities
In dogs, cavities on the external side of molar teeth damage enamel and dentin, perhaps exposing nerves. Cavities form when bacteria break down highly refined carbs, releasing lactic and acetic acids that destroy enamel and dentin. Preventative oral fillings help cure cavities. Untreated cavities can damage the enamel and dentin of the tooth, exposing the pulp chamber.
Root canal treatment could be an option if the tooth is not severely damaged, although extraction is generally the only choice. You can check on this page the frequently asked questions about cavities in pets.
Conclusion
Oral illness is common in dogs and cats. Sometimes, it gets worse to the point of surgical extraction. As a pet owner, the objective is always to diagnose and treat painful dental diseases as early as possible, ideally before extraction is needed. To prevent surgical extractions, seek advice from your veterinarian or trustworthy veterinary dentist regularly to identify the most effective dental disease prevention methods.
