Poor oral hygiene and accidents can lead to damaged teeth. This damage has the potential to cause serious complications. Here, our New Ulm vets talk about why tooth extractions are needed and what you can expect from your dog's dental surgery.
Why are tooth extractions needed?
Removing a dog's teeth is necessary if they are damaged. This is to prevent serious infection from developing as well as pain. Dog tooth extractions are often needed for the animal to live pain-free and achieve ideal oral health.
Vets can surgically remove one or more dog's teeth. They might take out the whole tooth, including the roots, or just the visible part above the gums.
Your Dog's Tooth Extraction
Each one of your dog's teeth is held in place with roots. As many as three roots may be holding an individual tooth in place. All roots must be removed to extract a tooth correctly and fully.
Anesthesia will be used to sedate your dog during their dental surgery. Our veterinarians practice stringent surgical protocols while operating on our patients.
To check how healthy the roots of your dog's teeth are, the vet may need to take an X-ray. Large teeth - those with multiple roots - are split using a high-speed dental drill so that every fragment of the tooth has only one root attached to it. When a smaller tooth that only has a single root attached can be removed without this extra step.
Potential Tooth Extraction Complications
After your dog has a tooth extraction, complications are rare. Even so, they are possible. If they do occur, they typically fall into a few categories: incomplete healing of dental cavities, remnants of removed teeth, or damage to their jaw bone.
What to Expect After Tooth Extractions for Dogs
Your dog should recover fairly quickly after a tooth extraction, and you can usually take them home the same day as the procedure. While there might be a little bit of blood in their saliva, there shouldn't be any significant bleeding. If there is, contact your vet right away.
Our New Ulm vets recommend avoiding feeding your dog hard foods for a while until the area heals. If your dog eats primarily hard kibble, it can be softened in water before you serve it to them. For similar reasons, we also recommend that you avoid playing tug-of-war until your dog has fully recovered.
The Cost of Tooth Extractions for Dogs
The cost of a dog's tooth extraction will vary from clinic to clinic and from pet to pet. This is because several different factors contribute to the final cost.
This can be the location of the clinic and the expertise of the practitioner as well as the type of equipment used. The age and species of your pet also play a role in the final amount that you will pay.
Please speak with your vet to discuss the estimate of the cost for your pet and a breakdown of the bill.
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. For an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition, please make an appointment with your vet.