Focus on Dentistry

This lecture qualifies for 1 hour of structured and assessed CPD

Tooth extraction is arguably the most common surgical procedure performed in companion animal practice, today.

However, a lot of us, were never taught, at least at an undergraduate level, how to successfully perform a tooth extraction, nor taught correct extraction technique and the use of the appropriate instrumentation, to simplify the procedure. This has sometimes led to less than favourable outcomes for our patients.

Extraction complications can often be iatrogenic and therefore, avoidable. This webinar will look at the common and not so common errors made before, during and after the tooth extraction procedure.

Following this, a discussion concerning the planning steps that one can take, including instrumentation and extraction technique, to avoid or to minimise these complications.

This lecture qualifies for 1 hour of structured and assessed CPD.

Most dental procedures are elective and therefore conducive to pre-emptive nerve blocks.

However, there is a fear, amongst some veterinarians, of causing damage to important structures when performing dental nerve blocks in dogs and cats. This fear is based on a number of factors, including a lack of knowledge of oral anatomy, lack of dental training or misinformation re nerve block techniques, or prior bad experiences when performing dental nerve blocks.

In human dentistry the combination of local anaesthetic nerve blocks and post-operative pain relief with either non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or opiates such as codeine are routinely used. A high level of knowledge of anatomical landmarks, local anaesthetic agents, including dosage, mode of action, onset and duration of action are imperative for successful dental anaesthesia.

In veterinary dentistry, the use of local anaesthesia and post-operative NSAIDs works very well in managing peri-operative and post-operative dental pain.

The types of dental procedures that require pain management include orofacial trauma cases, acute periodontal infections, gingivostomatitis, oral tumours and tooth extraction procedures. A multimodal approach to pain management is necessary for the dental patient.

The webinar will look at commonly used local anaesthetic agents, anatomical landmarks used for dental nerve blocks and how to avoid local anaesthetic complications.

This lecture qualifies for 1 hour of structured and assessed CPD.

Tooth resorptions in dogs are REAL and occur more often than one would suspect. Often, the resorptions are picked up, as incidental radiographic findings, in middle aged to older dogs, although they can be also seen in younger dogs.

With the increasing access to dental radiology available to the veterinary clinician, and the routine radiographic screening of dogs for periodontal disease, tooth resorptions are being diagnosed at an increasing rate.

This begs the obvious question, are canine tooth resorptions a relatively new condition, or through this increased diagnostic screening, are we now identifying tooth resorptions, that have been always present in dogs, prior to screening?

This webinar will go through the clinical and radiographic appearance of tooth resorptions in dogs.

A discussion of the different types of canine tooth resorptions will follow, pointing out the differences and similarities between canine and feline tooth resorptions.

Finally, an outline of the current thinking in the management of tooth resorptions in dogs will follow.