Have you ever thought about braces for dogs

Looking a bit nervous for his big day, this is the man-of-the-hour, Nelson!

Patient: Nelson

Species: Miniature Daschund

Age: 6 Months Old

Veterinarian: Dr. Vicky

Favourite Technician: Monike

Nelson at his first visit. Notice that his baby canine tooth is still present (purple arrow). And his bottom canine tooth is struggling to fit amongst all of his teeth, and is stabbing into his gum (teal arrow).

Have you ever thought about braces for dogs? Does it sound absurd? Well, meet Nelson, who has had the doggy equivalent of braces to help correct his troublesome teeth!

At a routine checkup, Dr. Vicky identified that Nelson’s baby canine teeth were growing too narrow. This meant that whenever Nelson was closing his mouth, his baby teeth were sticking into the roof of his mouth, even starting to cause holes in the top of his mouth! Ouch!

Under local and general anesthesia, Nelson’s baby teeth were removed, giving him a pain-free mouth, and allowing the adult teeth enough room to erupt properly. Nelson’s family and Dr. Vicky would keep in very close contact, with weekly revisits, as his adult teeth began to erupt.

The baby tooth has been gently extracted, and the crown extension is in place (teal arrow). Time to see if we can move the tooth in the right direction!

Sure enough, Nelson’s new adult canine tooth was also coming in too narrow, and would surely hit the roof of his mouth if it continued on this path. This would be a disaster. Before the tooth could erupt any further, Dr. Vicky placed a crown extension. Now, as Nelson’s adult tooth was growing, the extension pushed it into the correct direction. After several weeks of wearing his extension, and being very careful not to damage it, Nelson was finally able to have it removed!

Nelson was now left with a pain-free mouth which he can use freely and normally for the rest of his life!

At his final 4 week revisit, Nelson’s adult tooth can be seen erupting (teal arrow) and Dr. Vicky is happy with its position! Time to remove the temporary crown!

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Finally, it’s time to remove those temporary crowns and see what all our hard work was for!

Nelson was now left with a pain-free mouth which he can use freely and normally for the rest of his life!

Remember, dogs and cats use their mouths like you would use your hands. This makes their teeth just as important as your fingers. The loss of a tooth is just as debilitating as an amputation!

Prevention and saving strategies only work if implemented early! In Nelson’s case, this tooth is very important for his ability to pick things up, like playing with a tennis ball. We’re hoping there are many happy days ahead for you, Nelson!

Are you interested in more information about crown extensions, and dental options beyond extractions?

Did you know that Dr. Vicky has achieved membership qualification in dentistry and oral surgery with the highly coveted Australian  and New Zealand College of Veterinary Surgeons? Book a second opinion today!

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If you have an emergency, we urge you not to book a vet appointment using this booking form and instead contact us at (03) 8595 6655 so that we can organise to see you as soon as possible.

Dr. Vicky Wade

Veterinarian