Dental Extractions
We commonly perform dental cleanings on dogs and cats at the Moab Veterinary Clinic, and sometimes this involves tooth extractions. Oral health is important to your pet’s overall health, and teeth can play a big part in not just health but also the comfort of your animal. After all, how much discomfort do you experience when you have a really bad tooth?
There are a few reasons why teeth end up extracted, but it all boils down to that tooth just plain had to come out. Extracting teeth that don’t need to come out is very painful and honestly more work than it’s worth. We only extract teeth that need to come out because they are very loose, broken and have exposed pulp (exposed pulp is very painful), or have very exposed roots (the roots are very sensitive and can cause pain, imagine your teeth being sensitive after having something cold or hot). Sometimes pets experience tooth root abscesses and the only way to help that infection is to remove the entire tooth. Some clinics are able to perform root canals, but they are very costly and not something Moab Veterinary Clinic offers at this time.
Many times we will close up the socket left behind from an extracted tooth with suture. This suture will dissolve in about two weeks, there is no need to return to the clinic for removal. We haven’t experienced any “dry socket” issues with our dental patients, so they should be fine to eat and drink when they return home and are up to eating and drinking like normal (because they will be under anesthesia during their dental, we recommend feeding ⅓ to ½ of their regular meal until the following day when they’re much less woozy).
You may notice blood in their water dish after drinking, and this is a normal thing after experiencing extractions (or even after a normal dental cleaning if they have severe gum disease, just like when we bleed after the dentist because we haven’t been flossing well enough). You may also see blood from their nose if the upper canine teeth were extracted, sometimes the roots of the upper canine can be so diseased they actually erode through the bone separating them from the nasal cavity creating a hole called an oronasal fistula. If this has happened, we will remove the affected tooth (or teeth) and close the socket to prevent anything from going through that fistula.
Please ask us about pain medication for your pets! We are happy to provide them and can do an injection that lasts for 24 hours (no worrying about pilling a potential nauseated pet) and send home oral medications for when they’re more up to taking something by mouth.
If you have any questions about your pet’s extractions, please contact our staff!
There are a few reasons why teeth end up extracted, but it all boils down to that tooth just plain had to come out. Extracting teeth that don’t need to come out is very painful and honestly more work than it’s worth. We only extract teeth that need to come out because they are very loose, broken and have exposed pulp (exposed pulp is very painful), or have very exposed roots (the roots are very sensitive and can cause pain, imagine your teeth being sensitive after having something cold or hot). Sometimes pets experience tooth root abscesses and the only way to help that infection is to remove the entire tooth. Some clinics are able to perform root canals, but they are very costly and not something Moab Veterinary Clinic offers at this time.
Many times we will close up the socket left behind from an extracted tooth with suture. This suture will dissolve in about two weeks, there is no need to return to the clinic for removal. We haven’t experienced any “dry socket” issues with our dental patients, so they should be fine to eat and drink when they return home and are up to eating and drinking like normal (because they will be under anesthesia during their dental, we recommend feeding ⅓ to ½ of their regular meal until the following day when they’re much less woozy).
You may notice blood in their water dish after drinking, and this is a normal thing after experiencing extractions (or even after a normal dental cleaning if they have severe gum disease, just like when we bleed after the dentist because we haven’t been flossing well enough). You may also see blood from their nose if the upper canine teeth were extracted, sometimes the roots of the upper canine can be so diseased they actually erode through the bone separating them from the nasal cavity creating a hole called an oronasal fistula. If this has happened, we will remove the affected tooth (or teeth) and close the socket to prevent anything from going through that fistula.
Please ask us about pain medication for your pets! We are happy to provide them and can do an injection that lasts for 24 hours (no worrying about pilling a potential nauseated pet) and send home oral medications for when they’re more up to taking something by mouth.
If you have any questions about your pet’s extractions, please contact our staff!
