COMMON CONDITIONS
Conditions commonly diagnosed and treated by veterinary dental specialists include:
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Enamel hypoplasia: Areas of defective enamel formation, appearing as brown, sunken spots or bands on
one or more teeth, which may result from certain viral infections, or trauma to the developing tooth. 
Left: Pre-operative photo of a dog's upper 4th premolar
with enamel hypoplasia and staining.
Right: The same tooth after cleaning and
placement of a composite restorative.
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Endodontic disease: When a tooth fractures and the
pulp (blood vessels and nerves) inside the tooth is exposed, bacteria get into
the pulp and the pulp dies. If not treated, severe inflammation occurs in the
bone around the tooth roots, often leading to swelling or drainage of pus below the eye
or under the chin. An intact tooth which is discolored purple or grey is also
likely to have dead pulp, and should be treated.
 
Left: Fracture of a dog's upper 4th premolar tooth. This is a common
injury, resulting from chewing on hard objects.
Right: The same tooth after root canal treatment.
Unlike cavities in humans, which are caused by acid-producing
bacteria, these lesions are the result of the cells normally present to destroy
roots of deciduous (baby) teeth. For an unknown reason, the cells become active
in adult cats and begin to destroy the permanent teeth. If a filling is placed,
the cells continue to eat away at the tooth under the filling, and the tooth is
eventually lost despite the attempted treatment.
Jaw fractures: Usually caused by trauma, some fractures of the jaw
bones may be repaired non-surgically by the use of intra-oral splints, like the
one below. Other
fractures may require surgical intervention.
  
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Malocclusion: Indicating a failure of the jaws and teeth to interdigitate properly,
malocclusion includes conditions such as "overbite" and "underbite". Although
usually hereditary, sometimes malocclusions are the result of trauma to the
skull of a developing puppy or kitten.
This dog's lower right canine
tooth is occluding onto the palate, causing trauma to the soft tissues (arrow).
An orthodontic appliance has been placed to move the
lower canine tooth outward, into its normal position.
Below: After treatment, the canine tooth is in its
normal position.
-
Oral tumors: Growths on the gums or in the mouth may
be either benign, cancerous but only locally-invasive, or malignant (capable of
causing cancer elsewhere in the body). Any abnormal growth in the mouth should
be biopsied to determine whether it is cancerous.  
Left: This mass near the upper canine tooth of a dog
was removed and found to be benign.
Right: This tumor encompasses all of the lower incisor teeth;
after a biopsy revealed that it was malignant, the tumor was removed along with
a section of the lower jaw bone.
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Periodontal disease: Plaque accumulation on the teeth,
if untreated, leads to inflammation of the gums and destruction of the tooth-supporting structures, including bone.
Periodontal disease is the single most common health problem in cats and dogs.
-
Stomatitis: A painful inflammatory disease resulting in ulceration and bleeding of the mouth,
stomatitis is more common in cats (below, left) but may also occur in dogs
(below, right).
Brushing the teeth
daily and feeding a diet designed to reduce plaque and tartar accumulation may
be helpful in reducing the severity of the inflammation. Medical or surgical
intervention is often required.
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cts
30-50% of pet cats.