Advanced Dentistry

At Riverview Animal Health Centre, we offer advanced dental care for your pet. Endodontic techniques are used when your dog has had a major injury to their teeth. Historically, these teeth have had to be removed. However, now there are options to save your dog’s teeth through procedures such as root canals and partial pulpotomy. Repairing teeth instead of removing them is an excellent option for your pet.

The option of repairing a tooth is often overlooked, but much like an orthopedic fracture, dental fractures, if caught in time, can be repaired and normal function restored without removal.

Root Canals

This procedure involves coring out the entire pulp cavity as well as shaving off some of the dentine from the inner surface of the tooth. The tooth is then backfilled to provide a solid core and then capped in much the same way that the partial pulpotomy would be capped. If done correctly, this procedure can easily last the lifetime of the pet. Choosing a root canal over a partial pulpotomy is often a judgement call based on the type of fracture, the duration since the trauma, the likelihood of further trauma, and the patient’s age.

Read More on Root Canals for Dogs

Vital Pulp Therapy

A procedure also known as a Partial Pulpotomy is best performed in the first 2-3 weeks following a traumatic event. This window is critical because at this time the pulpitis has not penetrated the pulp cavity more than 5mm. The partial pulpotomy procedure cores out the top 5-7mm of pulp and effectively seals the top of the tooth again preventing further bacterial penetration. This procedure is commonly done in human dentistry when a tooth has been broken. Its most frequent application is in teenagers and young adults who have large pulp cavities. In humans, the greatest success is seen where treatments are applied shortly following the injury. In people, a partial pulpotomy can last for many years. When correctly applied in a veterinary application, it will easily last the lifetime of the pet.