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Apr 23, 2008 9:34 pm US/Mountain
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Dog Braces Might Be Easier Than Pulling Teeth
DENVER (CBS4) ―
Dogs sometimes have problems with their teeth, and most of the time the solution is to just pull the bad one. But a few pet owners are opting to pay a little more for less pain by going to the animal orthodontist.
Marley is a good looking 8-month-old dachshund. He didn't have an overbite, nor an underbite, no big gaps in his smile either. But he did have a tooth problem, so in stepped dentist John Huff to give Marley braces.
"We really don't do it for any kind of aesthetic reason, like we do in people," said Huff, the animal dentist at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital. "Marley has a lower canine tooth that's growing into the roof of his mouth."
Marley had an "occlusion," a crooked tooth that could eventually penetrate the roof of his mouth. Huff said braces are the way to go.
"They call it an orthodontic button and it will just be cemented to his tooth," Huff said. "Then there will be a little elastic chain, kind of like a rubber band."
On small dogs, like Marley, pulling the tooth might cause damage to the entire jaw.
"It's just a little more invasive if you get into extraction of a tooth," said Lauren Immel, Marketing Director at Alameda East. "Because they are going to go into the gum line and there is more healing time and it's more painful for the dog."
Huff said he puts braces on dogs about four times a year.
Marley's spent little over an hour in the dentist's chair, or the dentist's gurney to be more accurate. After waking up, Marley was a little groggy, but happy to show off his new grill, which is mostly rubber band.
Marley will need about three to four weeks to straighten out the problem tooth, but he will have to wear a retainer. In the meantime, he has to take it easy on the chew toys and the games of tug-o-war.
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