Oral Surgery: Tooth Extractions
Our goal is not to extract teeth when possible and we do offer some advances dentistry to save teeth when we can. However, when dental disease is severe and we have lost a significant amount of the connective tissue surrounding the tooth, extraction is necessary to remove all of the infection and restore the mouth back to full health. Because many pet owners are unaware of the importance of routine dental care for their pets, one of the most common oral surgery procedures we perform is tooth extraction. Teeth may also be extracted due to fracture, trauma, tooth resorption, cysts, cancer, stomatitis or malocclusion.
Oral surgery: Tumor Resections
Unfortunately, cats and dogs can get oral cancer just like people. While some oral cancers can spread to the rest of the body, many are isolated to the oral cavity and can be removed without worry of future re-occurrence. Some oral tumors can be relatively aggressive and require wide margins to completely remove them. This can require removing part of the jaw with the tumor (mandibulectomy/maxillectomy). This is a service we can provide on a case-by-case basis.
Oral Surgery: Gingival Hyperplasia Resection
Gingival hyperplasia is a condition where the gingiva (gum tissue) overgrows and covers the tooth. This condition can lead to significant dental disease if not addressed. Some breeds, such as Boxers and Bulldogs, are very prone to this condition and require annual resection of abnormal tissue. Some medications can cause this condition as well.
Oral Surgery: Stomatitis
Stomatitis means “inflammation of the mouth” and this inflammation can become very severe. Both cats and dogs can develop this very painful condition that significantly impacts the quality of their life. These cases must be treated properly to ensure the best possible outcome and unfortunately often involve full or near full mouth extractions. They also require careful consideration of pain management to ensure these pets stay comfortable before, during and after surgery. We are very experienced with these cases and have many success stories.
Oral surgery: Dentigerous/Radicular Cyst Repair
Unerupted teeth can cause large cysts (dentigerous) to form in the jaw and radicular cysts can form from normally erupted teeth. These cysts must be properly removed to ensure they do not continue to expand and cause more bone destruction. Any missing tooth should be xrayed as it could be entrapped in bone and can then cause one of these cysts. Brachycephalic breeds such as Boxers, Bulldogs, and Boston terriers are more prone to unerupted teeth and dentigerous cysts but they can occur in any breed.
Oral surgery: Cleft Palate Repair
Some animals, just like some people, are born with a defect in their hard palate, soft palate and/or lip. When the animal is old enough, these defects can be closed to provide the animal with a better quality of life and less risk of serious infection.
Oral surgery: Oronasal Fistula Repair
When teeth in the front of the maxilla (canines and premolars) are removed or fall out, sometime there can be a defect in the bone left behind that enters into the nasal cavity from the mouth. If these defects are not closed properly, they can lead to a chronic opening between the mouth and nose (oronasal fistula). These defects can be quite large and difficult to close. Left untreated, your pet could experience chronic infection and discomfort.
