Greyhound Vet Dental – Carnasial Tooth Extraction
Greyhounds have rather unique dental problems. The receding gum that progresses with age often results in root exposure, and is common in our Greyhound Rescue dogs presented for Adoption.
The bacterial load on the tooth gum margin often results in tartar and plaque on a greyhound's teeth which, if not removed, will results in gingivitis and periodontitis – gum disease and a “pushing back:” of the gum lining exposing the tooth root , resulting in tooth root exposure.
The oral cavity after scaling and cleaning see below:
The aim of the Greyhound dental is for a pain free, infection free mouth that is easy to keep clean. The Greyhound Vet dentist will not necessarily try to remove or save the teeth. Rather after the total oral cavity is evaluated the teeth needing extraction are removed and the rest of the mouth is scaled and polished and further root exposure is then, smoothed, primed and bonded.
The Greyhound veterinary dentists address the problem by removing severely affected teeth, scaling and polishing and then smoothing and applying a bonding agent to the exposed teeth, and encouraging home cleaning.
The Carnassial tooth, is the largest tooth in the greyhounds mouth. It is the tooth used for crushing. When a Hyena crushes a large giraffe bone- they are the crushing teeth. Carnassial teeth, are in the upper jaw, and are the fourth premolars. They have three large roots, each angled outwards, and really anchoring the tooth in place. They are prone to slab fractures, or longitudinal fractures in dogs crushing bones. After a slab fracture of a carnassial tooth, the patient experiences sharp pain, as the pulp cavity is exposed. Usually extraction is the only treatment option - chipped teeth can have a "filling" like in people using normal human composite dental materials. It is much cheaper that removing the tooth.
To gently and properly extract a carnassial tooth the Greyhound Vet dentist will make a gum flap and the section the tooth into three, and then extract each of the three teeth as single teeth. This is why most carnassial extractions take about 20 minutes.
The three roots after removal of the upper 4th premolar ina greyhound Dental: IN this particular case the front teeth called incisors - also needed to be removed
One particular dental day – our Vet Dentists had 8 large breed dogs booked in all for carnassial extractions. They can be difficult, which is why many prefer to refer the extraction to a doggy dentist.
Make sure your Greyhound vet uses 2 or more people to move your Greyhound on and off the operating table while under anaesthesia. Greyhound spines are delicate, and wrenching, lifting by their legs etc when moving them could cause spinal and or hip issues.
Make sure your Greyhound Vet Dentist removes teeth that need to be removed, not just cleans them and leaves them in. Dogs have 42 teeth, and they can eat without any!
Dentals are usually needed, and done, by good adoption groups when a Greyhound comes into an adoption program. Many greyhounds may not need another vet dental with proper home care.
About 60 minutes after the Greyhound Dental – and a rapid recovery Our patient is heading home – with a much improved quality of life,. The Clinic has large indoor cages appropriate for greyhound dentals, and large outdoor runs to fit greyhounds after the dentistry ..
No matter how many Dental Chews you give your dog nothing can come close to cleaning or brushing your dog’s teeth with the correct type of Gel or Dog Toothpaste every day.