Regional Veterinary Surgery

OTHER DISEASE CONDITIONS OF TEETH

• Apart from alveolar periostitis  and sharp teeth, the following conditions are also affecting the teeth
  • Mal Occlusion
  • Shaky tooth in dogs
  • Dental fistula
  • Odontoma
  • Ameloblastoma/Adamantinoma

Mal occlusion

• When the upper jaw is much longer than the lower jaw, the upper incisors overhang the lower ones. This condition is called Parrot Mouth/Brachygnathism.
• In this condition, the lower incisors are likely to cause injury to the hard palate. When the lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw, the condition is called as hypognathism / prognathism / pig mouth / sow mouth. The prognathism is accepted in certain breeds like brachycephalic breeds whereas in breeds like Dachshund and Collies, brachygnathism is common and such malocclusions may be ignored.
• An aberrant tooth may project into opposing soft tissue and cause pain and irritation and in such conditions, such tooth may be extracted or their rough edges may be filed.

Shaky tooth in dogs

• This condition is generally due to the accumulation of tartar. This condition has to be differentiated from the natural shedding process of the teeth at the appropriate age.
• Treatment: If tartar is removed and subsequently the mouth and the teeth are kept clean, some cases may respond positively. Remaining cases in which response is not there, dental extraction may be advised.

Dental fistula 

• A dental fistula is produced by the communication of the root of a tooth with the outside.
• Etiology
  • A dental fistula may be resulted through external injury and infection.
  • Alveolar periostitis and caries of the tooth are the  main causes.
  • Dental fistula affecting the fourth upper cheek tooth in dog usually results from alveolar periostitis.
  • The roots of this tooth are located in the antrum (maxillary sinus) and hence this condition is popularly known as “pus in the antrum”.
  • The 4^th upper premolar is clinically important because an abscess at the root of this tooth invariably breaks through the alveolus and discharges to the outside, ventral to the eye.
  • The lesion can vary from a small, hard swelling or subcutaneous cellulitis to a persistent or recurring fistula.
• Symptoms
  • In dog, the pus is seen to escape through a small opening on the skin below the lower eye lid. There may be pain and difficulty in mastication. But in many cases, there is no noticeable involvement of the tooth.
  • In horses, dental fistula affecting the upper molars may either open into the nasal chambers or into the maxillary sinus or on the outside skin and discharge may be seen through the nostrils.
• Diagnosis
  • Clinical symptoms
  • Radiography: Alveolar abscess can be demonstrated radiographically in a medial oblique projection with the affected maxilla in contact with the film.

Dental X-ray unit for small animals

                                     

• Treatment
  • Removal of the affected tooth and the necrosed pieces of bone are the treatment.
  • In the case of carnassial tooth, in most cases, the single posterior root will be involved.
  • The affected carnassial tooth is extracted and the alveolus and the draining tract are curetted thoroughly.
  • In cases of involvement of maxillary sinus, open it up and clear the sinus cavity.
  • Sufficient antibiotic cover should be given systemically as well as locally.

Odontoma

 

It is the tumor composed of tooth tissue originating from odontoblasts. It is only very rarely met with in domestic animals. The tumor may occur in any position on the mandible or maxilla. When the tumor is present, extraction of the tooth will be difficult or in some cases, impossible. In such cases, curetting or chiseling out the tumorous growth under general anaesthesia is the treatment.

 

Ameloblastoma/Adamantinoma

• This tumor is not arising from the ameloblasts, but from the odontogenic epithelial remnants.
• The tumor occurs sporadically in cattle, sheep and buffaloes.
• Animal feels difficulty in mastication and deglutition due to abnormality and pain.
• In advanced cases, the incisors are displaced and embedded in the growth.
• Treatment is similar to that of Odontoma.