The sooner we know about a dental or oral problem, the better. Most of the conditions which affect the mouth are painful and will therefore need swift investigation and treatment.

Gingivitis/periodontal disease: It occurs when the body’s immune system reacts to bacteria and toxins that accumulate on teeth in the form of plaque.

• It is progressive and results in tooth loss, oral pain, infection, bad breath, and potentially systemic complications.

Fractured teeth: The most common causes of fractured teeth are: cow hooves, antlers, hard nylon toys, ice cubes, rocks, marrow bones, etc.

• It allows bacteria to enter the tooth.
• Treatment of this type of fractured tooth is done by root canal therapy or extraction.
• Sometimes, placing a crown is also recommended.

Discolored teeth: It can occur when a pet chews on hard objects or from blunt trauma to the mouth.

• The pulp of the tooth bleeds and initially stains the dentin pink.
• Eventually, the tooth becomes purple or grey.
• Currently, the discolored teeth is either extracted or treated with root canal therapy.

Persistent primary teeth: Sometimes, a pet’s adult tooth can erupt before the baby tooth has fallen out.

• This can prevent the adult tooth from erupting in its appropriate place.
• It can also cause crowding between teeth and contribute to plaque accumulation and subsequent gum disease.
• The persistent primary tooth is generally extracted to prevent malocclusion or a misaligned bite.

Stomatitis: It is a severe inflammation of the oral cavity caused by an exaggerated inflammatory response to the plaque bacteria.

• The inflammation causes the gum tissue and oral cavity to become swollen, red, and very painful.

Feline tooth resorption: It results in loss of tooth structure and is painful.

• Often multiple teeth are affected and multiple lesions are also very common consequence.
• Dental radiographs are imperative to diagnose and treat tooth resorption.

Carious lesions (cavities): These are typically seen on the flat occlusal surface of the molar teeth in dogs and have a brown or black coloration.

• If the cavity has not affected the pulp canal, then either root canal therapy or extraction is recommended.

Oral masses: These may be benign or malignant and early detection of these is of utmost importance for surgery.

• Jaw fractures: Diagnosed via CT scan, these are realigned by various techniques.

Canine tooth resorption: Diagnosed by dental radiographs, these occur as lesions and are very painful. Hence, tooth extraction is recommended.

• Jaw fractures: Diagnosed via CT scan, these are realigned by various techniques.

Malocclusion (abnormal bite): These are mainly genetic and are treated via moving the teeth with orthodontics, extracting teeth, or crown shortening with vital pulp therapy.