We can treat any type of oral disease, but usually, your vet will handle routine cases if they are equipped to do so. We receive referrals from as far away as Alice Springs! Most of our patients come from Sydney and regional NSW. The problems that are commonly referred to us include:

Emergencies

Pets that suffer trauma from a car accident or blunt injury often have mouth trauma. Teeth that fall out (avulsion) or break and expose the pulp should be considered an emergency. You can read more about emergencies here, but remember that your vet will stabilise and treat life-threatening problems before considering the treatment of a broken tooth. This is entirely appropriate. Broken teeth can be treated later, although the treatments are different.

Base Narrow Canines

Puppies with base narrow canines have a small window of a few weeks where we can intervene and save the teeth. We have certain techniques and therapies that allow for the erupting teeth to grow into a position where they don’t cause trauma and pain to the tissues around them.

Extractions

We take out a lot of teeth. A LOT of teeth. They get along just fine without them, and they don’t care if some (or all) teeth are missing. We efficiently extract teeth with as little trauma to the mouth as possible. That means less pain and a faster recovery. Most pets eat straight after they wake up from surgery! They go home on appropriate pain relief and are usually healed in two weeks.

Despite being so fast, some extraction surgeries can still take us 4-5 hours. These extractions can be handled at your local vet but will likely take a lot longer or may need to be performed in stages. For this reason, your vet may suggest a referral to Sydney Pet Dentistry.

Stomatitis In Cats and Dogs

Stomatitis can occur in cats and dogs. a painful condition often treated with multiple dentals and extractions, courses of steroids and antibiotics. In most cases, the only treatment is the extraction of all the teeth (including those below the gum line, only visible by x-ray). It is very confronting for a pet owner to consider having all their pet’s teeth taken out. These are often referred to Sydney Pet Dentistry for a second opinion or because we can operate quickly and efficiently with minimal trauma and a quick recovery. We almost always perform this procedure as a single surgery rather than staging it as multiple surgeries.

Old And Sick Pets

We see many old patients with multiple health problems. In this situation, the anaesthetic is important. Our ability to operate efficiently and with minimal trauma means less anaesthesia time, making for a safer procedure. We routinely use state-of-the-art monitoring and support equipment. We work with specialist anaesthetists where recommended; or if a client is worried about their pet going under anaesthesia. The anaesthesia service is open to anyone.

Root Canals and Endodontics

If your vet notices a broken tooth that is not ‘fresh’, they can consider extracting the tooth at their hospital or referring it for a root canal or extraction. Some teeth (such as the canines and big molars) are very important to the structure of the jaw. Extraction will weaken the jaw, which can lead to breaks in some cases, especially older animals. We have a lot of experience in root canals (to save the tooth and maintain jaw structure), and we have also developed ways of extracting canine teeth that does not weaken the jaw – it’s quite a trick!

We also perform other endodontic procedures (where the tooth’s pulp is exposed and needs a filling), such as reduction of the height of the tooth and restorations.

Gingival Hyperplasia

Some pets (think Boxers) have prolific gum tissue that needs to be removed. It is important to do this as accurately as possible and without the trauma of electrocautery. Electrocautery scalpels cut off the excess gum tissue and cauterise the heavy bleeding. Whilst this sounds good, it can irreparably damage the teeth. Think of someone putting an electric charge on your teeth!