Dental Surgery

Dental emergencies can strike any time to both dogs and cats at any age. For two-year-old London here, her owner noticed that she had chipped a canine tooth. Seemingly minor-looking from the front, but a closer look at the back of the tooth was cause for concern. Sure enough, a visual exam showed the tooth chipped far enough that it called for an emergency procedure.

In this video, we’ll go behind the scenes so that you’ll know what to expect if the unexpected happens.

London’s pre-op bloodwork showed that it was safe to proceed with anesthesia, and after a quick check of her weight and vitals, London was ready to get her I.V. catheter. This will add to the safety of the procedure as fluids and medication can easily be administered.

London’s next step is to get her sedation medication. This medication is administered to help ease her anxiety and stress, ultimately decreasing the amount of gas anesthesia needed.

While asleep, London’s vitals will be carefully monitored to ensure that her respiratory and cardiovascular systems are functioning well, and her blood pressure remains steady. She’ll have a special blanket that blows warm air down To ensure her temperature doesn’t drop below normal.

After the nurses determine London is safely under anesthesia, digital X-rays are taken to see just how extensive the chip in her tooth is. Our digital radiology department means that our doctors and technicians can instantly see what’s going on in London’s mouth. X-rays showed that she had cracked her lower canine as well, but thankfully it was just a hairline and shouldn’t prove to be an issue in the near future.

Dr. Benham talked about the options and the owner opted for an extraction since this rough-and-tumble pup is likely to continue to be tough on her teeth. Dr. Benham also noticed that the roots of some of London’s back teeth are hooked like a “J”, coming very close to her jaw bone. London’s owners will want to make sure her teeth are very well maintained with frequent brushing and veterinary dental cleanings. If these teeth become infected or need to be extracted, their proximity to the jaw bone could result in a jaw fracture.

London’s owner also opted to have her teeth cleaned while she was under anesthesia, so the dental technician removes the built-up tartar that has accumulated. After that, London is ready for her surgery. Dr. Benham injects a local block to numb the extraction site so that less general anesthesia is needed, then extracts the tooth. Dissolvable sutures will close the extraction site, and London won’t have to come back to have them removed.

If your pet isn’t already microchipped, having it done while your pet is having surgery is an excellent idea. While the microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and causes little pain when injected under the skin, London will be none the wiser when she wakes up.

It doesn’t take long for London to come out of anesthesia after surgery and is immediately bundled up and in Dr. Benham’s loving arms for the start of her recovery. London is able to come home just a few hours later with some medication to make sure she stays comfortable as her extraction site heals.

Emergencies can be scary, but we do hope this video has helped alleviate any fears you may have about just what happens when a pet has a dental emergency.