Feline lower canine extractions

RE: Feline lower canine extractions

Stephen Courtney — Sun, 01 May 2016 19:14:09 GMT

I'm pretty sure from your description that a radiograph would have shown root resorption, and a simple crown amputation would have eliminated all your distress and anxiety.

Once you have dental radiography you can't imagine doing without it, it isn't that expensive to set up, and pays for itself quickly enough.

RE: Feline lower canine extractions

Tedders — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 19:16:01 GMT

Thank you for the further replies and for the interesting fact about being able to get a mouth x ray using a digital system, I would never have thought that would be possible. I actually forgot to mention in my original post because my brain had temporarily blanked the horror of it all that in addition to the nightmare extraction I had managed to catch the underside of the poor cat's tongue with the drill taking a lower premolar out (something I have avoided doing for years) which put me right up there with that French dentist who has just been jailed for 8 years. Anyway, I am going to look up all of Evelyn's advice and ensure I have sharp and appropriate equipment and plenty of time. I saw the cat back today and she is somehow doing fine and hopefully won't have ongoing discomfort. Martin's point about chronic neuropathic pain after extractions was more of a fear than fracturing the jaw in fact. Thank you again.

RE: Feline lower canine extractions

Bob Russell — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 09:56:44 GMT

It is possible to X-ray lower incisors with a traditional X-ray system. Our digital system allows us to remove the 'film' from the plate and use it as we did the old screen free plates. We put it in a plastic bag to keep it clean!

At a push you could get a useful view with an ordinary plate but the image will be tiny and in the corner!

RE: Feline lower canine extractions

Anthony Todd — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 09:25:34 GMT

[quote user="Tedders"]I'm a rubbish vet [/quote]

I'd say most of us go this period, I certainly did, with a boss who's response was usually "What took you so long?....

As far as cat dentals [sh1t, sorry for calling them "dentals" Evelyn, force of habit...] go, first thing, as Evelyn would agree, is to have the right instruments and not those for an alsation carnassial..... [in some places,hard to find!!]....[and harder to find in sharp effective condition.

Next read all of Evelyn's posts on here; invaluable, sensible and essential.

Then realise it'll take you longer so be slowand careful with the right instrument.

I found that, with the right elevator [you know the thing you push between the tooth and the bone,] of the same profile as the root you are trying to free, with care and persistence right round the root the lower canine just falls out without a flap etc.

But Evelyn is your best guide.

Right gear, frustrating patience and the realisation that it is a manual task only perfected by lots of practice is the key.

The number of "dental" posts should give you an idea that they may not be as easy as you were taught at uni......!

And you'll do them a lot so practice and learn!

PS [forgot] get some needle files and make sure your instruments are profiled correctly and sharp!!!

RE: Feline lower canine extractions

J G Wray — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 08:24:05 GMT

[quote user="Jenny Boyd"]

I think everyone has felt the way you do about dentistry at some point, it is one area of practice where I have often felt out of my depth but had to get on with it as it is expected- but more and more I am starting to think it is just because somehow we are expected to do it without the right tools and or training for the job often....

[/quote]

What have you done to remedy the problems of insufficient knowledge/training/kit? How have you approached the issue at work?

RE: Feline lower canine extractions

Jenny Boyd — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 18:31:02 GMT

RE: Feline lower canine extractions

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 17:16:16 GMT

[quote user="Tedders"]Thank you again, I feel better just for writing it down, I can't share my woes with my husband in case he thinks I'm a rubbish vet and takes our pets elsewhere!![/quote]Sounds as though there is a crisis of self-confidence going on here which extends beyond dodgy dentals!??

RE: Feline lower canine extractions

Tedders — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 16:43:57 GMT

Many thanks for all the replies and I realise how silly I sounded saying radiography would not have helped, it just felt at the time that nothing and no one could help me or the poor cat! Radiography would of course have identified it there was no distinct root to extract so I would not have started with the expectation of a textbook extraction and not been so disheartened. There was a bleeding resorptive lesion at the gumline which I felt in all conscience I couldn't ignore, tempted though I was after the last one! I have read a lot of the dentistry forum and am interested in Evelyn's advice that you don't always have to extract teeth with resorptive lesions below the gumline so am going to look into that a bit more too. Thank you again, I feel better just for writing it down, I can't share my woes with my husband in case he thinks I'm a rubbish vet and takes our pets elsewhere!!

RE: Feline lower canine extractions

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 15:32:32 GMT

I think Jenny has hit the nail on the head.

[quote user="Jenny Boyd"]I would wait for the dentists to reply but it sounds like those roots had undergone resorption and essentially had become 'one' with the mandibular bone- therefore you were never going to get the root out! But without dental radiography I guess you can't tell.[/quote]

Tedders' description sounds exactly like what you get with part-resorbed roots on the lower canines of the cat.

Tedders, why were you extracting these teeth? In retrospect (a wonderful thing), that might have suggested resorption?

If there is not any resorption, with these particular teeth if you are reasonably competent and patient and are using the right instruments you are not very likely to break them. If you do have the misfortune to break one, it may well be better on balance to leave a well-buried portion behind; but not if there is endodontic disease.

RE: Feline lower canine extractions

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 15:09:04 GMT

[quote user="Tedders"]Reading that makes it sound dreadful which is how I feel about it so if anyone could advise or point me in the direction of a video for example that would be hugely appreciated.[/quote]I'm sure the dentists will shoot me down in flames but so long as the roots are not obviously infected (in which case they probably would have come out easily anyway) I'm sure the socket will heal over and there will be no problem. In 40 years of practice the only problems I've had with extracting feline lower K9s is not from leaving root fragments behind but the post op pain/neuralgia from being over-enthusiastic about extracting them.

RE: Feline lower canine extractions

Bob Russell — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 14:48:22 GMT

One of the greatest benefits of dental radiography is to identify the teeth that don't have roots to remove! Saves a lot of hard work trying to perform the impossible!

RE: Feline lower canine extractions

Jenny Boyd — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 14:03:16 GMT

I would wait for the dentists to reply but it sounds like those roots had undergone resorption and essentially had become 'one' with the mandibular bone- therefore you were never going to get the root out! But without dental radiography I guess you can't tell. One of the reasons I have been petitioning the boss to try and get it, we have just had a machine on trial for a couple of weeks and it is amazing the difference it makes in helping guide decision making with extractions.

RE: Feline lower canine extractions

Sorrel Proctor — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 13:43:34 GMT

I'm afraid I don't have any great pearls of wisdom, just thought I would say that I feel your pain! I really do think dental x-ray would help with identifying whether what you have is root though, and with identifying if there are remnants left in place. Also I always warn owners about the risk of mandibular fracture in cats with lower canine extractions. It's never happened but I'm always nervous...