DENTAL DISEASES AND DISORDERS OF DOGS AND CATS
S. K. Ray
Formerly Professor and Head & Emeritus Scientist (I.C.A.R.) Department of Veterinary Medicine
Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar – 751003
Dental disease is the main oral disorders of dogs and cats and is of major importance in pet practices.
Pet’s dental health is just as important to his or her overall health. Dental disease does not affect just the mouth. It can lead to more serious health problems affecting intestinal tract, heart, lung, kidney and joints. Dental diseases of dogs and cats is one of the most commonly overlooked areas of pet care practice, with many of them suffering from undiagnosed, painful dental disorders.
Dog is born edentulous (without teeth). By 6-8 weeks of age the deciduous or primary teeth erupt.
Puppies and kitten with deciduous teeth
In this age group there are two types of dental problems occurring – traumatic damage to the baby teeth and oral cavity and improper eruption of the adult teeth. The baby or deciduous teeth are very thin and fragile. They are not firmly anchored in place by strong mineralized bone and can be easily broken or pulled out of position. Therefore, the most common problems encountered in this young age are traumatic injuries, sometimes self inflicted, sometimes inflicted by well meaning owners.
Puppies are very oral and enjoy having things in their mouths. Puppies are given hard objects to chew and playing “tug of war” with them. By pulling we can either fracture or luxate (pull out of the position) the primary `canine’ or ‘fang’ teeth. Since the adult fang teeth are developing under the gums close by to where the baby fangs are, these developing adult teeth can also be damaged. This can cause them to either never erupt or to come up in an improper position. This improper tooth location can cause injury to the mouth’s soft tissue.
Hard objects like “Indestructible Bones’”, hooves, stick and rocks can break teeth. Catching a flying saucer-like play toy in mid-air can also lead to teeth breaking. These types of injuries are very painful and usually result in the tooth dying and many cause an infection or abscess of the bone. Signs of a possible oral problem include difficulty in eating or holding objects, bleeding or drooling. The bone and overlying gums will be sensitive to the touch, swollen and the infection can start a draining abscess – a condition called a “gum boil”. Any broken baby teeth detected should be extracted.
Kittens, unlike puppies, usually break their baby fangs by running into doors, steps and walls. In addition to broken teeth, kittens and cats are notorious for chewing on electric cords and ornamental plants – which cause serious injury to the oral cavity.
Malocclusion
Malocclusion (abnormalities in the position of the teeth) is common in dogs, but also occurs in cats. It is the second most common dental problem seen in young dogs and cats where the permanent teeth erupt improperly. This condition is due to either trauma or the presence of persistent baby teeth. Normally as the permanent tooth erupts, it does so directly under the roof of the deciduous tooth causing it to break down, which then allows the adult tooth to push it out. Sometimes the bud of the permanent tooth is not directly positioned under the deciduous counterpart. This improper positioning causes the permanent tooth, during its formation, to glide off the baby tooth root and erupt abnormally. This malpositioned adult traumatizes the soft tissue in the mouth causing the pet pain and possible subsequent infection. In addition, food often becomes trapped between the baby tooth and adult tooth causing the development of gum infection. As a rule there should never be two of the same tooth type occupying the mouth at the same time. By frequently checking the pet’s teeth between the ages of 14 to 24 weeks of age, any double presence of teeth will be detected and can be immediately corrected. Never wait for the baby tooth to fall out by itself if you see even the slightest protrusion of the adult crown next to it. The teeth that are most often affected by the presence of retained baby teeth are the small front incisors and the canine or fang teeth. The lower fang teeth usually come in towards the inside of their deciduous (baby) counterparts. That means they will erupt into the hard palate if the baby fangs do not fall out promptly and are not extracted in time. This condition, if uncorrected, will cause a permanent hole in pet’s hard palate creating a direct connection between the mouth and nasal cavity. To correct this, the specialist will often construct an acrylic incline plane or “sliding ramp” to allow the inward directed lower fang to be forced out into a normal position. This is a very common occurrence in toy breeds but can occur in all animals.
Adult Dogs and Cats : Dental Fractures
In this mature age group, a variety of oral problems that can occur. Fractured teeth, as in young animals, if left untreated will cause abscesses and facial swellings. The fang teeth or canines, and the most important chewing teeth, the “carnassial” teeth, are often affected. The carnassial or shearing teeth are the upper 4th premolars and the lower 1st molars. They do 90 percent of the animal’s chewing. Because of the tremendous chewing forces that an animal can exert, any indestructible chew toys can cause these teeth to fracture and expose their nerve centers. These important chewing teeth if injured should be saved by a Dental specialist rather than extracted. A veterinary dentist will perform a root canal treatment that prevents infection from going up the tooth and into the bone, and also allows the tooth to remain functional. If the tooth’s crown is substantially damaged, the dentist will take impressions and have a dental laboratory cast a metal “Jacket Crown”. The metal crowns are indestructible and will prevent further injury to the tooth. The metal crown’s Dobermans, and Rottweilers, and to the sporting breeds like the Retrievers and Setters. Quite often dogs that have been kenneled or have exhibited separation anxiety damage their teeth by chewing on their cages. The damage that is done occurs on the distal or back surfaces of the teeth. The enamel and dentin are worn down and the tooth appears hook like. The normally white enamel at these worn areas becomes discolored to yellow or brown. These weakened teeth are more prone to further wear, fracture and exposure of the root canal. A veterinary dentist can strengthen the tooth with a 3’4 crown, which covers the sides and back area of the tooth with metal and thereby prevent further damage to the tooth.
Periodontal Disease
Periodontal disease is an infection of the tissue surrounding the teeth that takes hold in progressive stages. It is the number one disease that affects the dog’s mouth after the age of two. This is a very slow, insidious disease that affects all the supporting structures of the teeth.
It starts out as a bacterial film called plaque. The bacteria attach to the teeth. when the bacteria die they can be calcified by calcium in saliva. This forms a hard, rough substance called tartar or calculus which, allow more plaque to accumulate. Initially plaque is soft and brushing or chewing hard food and toys can dislodge it. If left to spread, plaque can lead to gingivitis an inflammation of the gum, causing them to become red and swollen. Bad breath and bleeding red gums are the most consistent signs noticed at the early stages of the disease. The animal might drop food and rub its mouth as well.
As plaque and tartar develop below the gum line, when not cleaned, the plaque and tartar build up continues unchecked; infection can form around the root of the tooth.
In the final stages of periodontal disease, the gums start to recede and supporting ligaments that hold the tooth to the jawbone and the bone itself becomes damaged. Deep pockets of infection cause pus, bleeding and pain. The affected animals are more reluctant to chew on hard food and quite often an abscess develops in the gum and jawbone. The animal starts to loose weight, avoids having its face or head touched, and seems to become all of a sudden “much older” overnight.
This stage of the disease requires the intervention of a dental specialist who is skilled in periodontal therapy and surgery. Dental radiographs to be taken to determine the degree of bone destruction and diseases; radiograph will be beneficial in establishing an appropriate treatment plan to save the animals teeth. Often by deep root therapy and splinting teeth, the dentist can encourage new supportive bone to form. If nothing is done, the pet will succumb to the final stages of periodontal disease.
Due to advanced destruction of the jawbone, the teeth are lost. In the case of toy breeds, often the lower jaw will fracture because the bone around the teeth is severely damaged. Advanced periodontal disease that affects the upper fang teeth can lead to permanent oro- nasal fistula where the nasal and oral cavities are actually connected. Often the dog has sneezing episodes that lead nose bleeds. When the tooth finally does fall out, there is a permanent non-healing hole between the mouth and nasal cavity that needs to be surgically repaired.
It should be obvious that bad breath, secondary to gum disease is very serious and should be acted upon immediately.
FORLS (Feline Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesions)
FORLS are very common oral disease and occurs in 60 per cent of cats. It is otherwise called as cat cavities. Normally the lesion starts after the age of two. The most common signs of FORL are that the cats eagerly approach their food bowls but then walk away without eating. These FORLS are extremely painful what is happening, usually at the gum line or neck of the tooth, in the activated tooth eating cells, called odontoclasts, start attacking the teeth. This leads to the tooth developing a cavity or hole into the root canal that is extremely painful. If left untreated. the crown of the tooth snaps off leaving the roots of the tooth to cause irritation and drainage.
The affected cats show lack of appetite and weight loss. The gums in the affected area seem to be growing, up and into the teeth. Bleeding may occur from the gums. In the end stage of the disease, a swollen bulging gum where the tooth used to be replaces the missing crown. At the present time, we do not know what causes the tooth-eating odontoclasts to be activated to start destroying the teeth. We do see a higher incidence of the disease in cats with moderate periodontal disease. Siamese and oriental cats have a higher incidence of the disease. Cats that have immune suppressive viruses such as Feline Leukemia “Felv” or Feline Immunesupressive Virus “FIV” have a greater tendency to develop the FORLS. At the present time a Veterinary dentist can slow the progression of the tooth destruction by using special fluoride leaching fillinas. If the teeth are severely damaged they need to be surgically removed in order to allow for proper healing.
Cancer
Animals 8 years and older (less frequently young animals) can develop oral cancer. The third most common site for caner is the oral cavity. In young animals, problem can involve tumors that affect the teeth directly. Odontomas are tumors that evolved from tooth bud and, fortunately, benign and properly excise will not return. Unfortunately, most oral cancers are malignant which needs they will not only grow locally but also can often spread or metastasize to other locations.
Conclusion
Out pet’s teeth, like our own, can be damaged and thus require regular appropriate care. Depending on the breed, age, and upbringing, we can have different oral problems to deal with. Very important is the daily care and inspection of our special friend’s mouth. The oral cavity is the gateway to either health or disease. A long, healthy, comfortable life for our friend can be assured by constant oral attention. It is up to us to guarantee this quality of life for our pets. Being proactive and taking care of problems immediately will help prevent further spreading of problems that can affect other organ systems in the body.
I like to quote “Hale – 2003” which reads as “In the domestic environment, dogs have no real need to defend territory. They have no need to prehend and kill live prey animals. In short, the domesticated pet dog does not need teeth at all. This may seem like an odd statement for a veterinary dentist to make, but I feel quite strongly that a dog is far better off having no teeth than having bad teeth. My preference is that a dog should have a full set of healthy, functional teeth, but preserving bad teeth in the face of a poor or questionable prognosis serves no positive purpose.”
https://www.pashudhanpraharee.com/dental-care-for-dogs-cats/
https://www.ethosvet.com/blog-post/common-dental-diseases-in-dogs-and-cats/
