09/30/2026
🐾DENTISTRY SPOTLIGHT🐾
Daphne came in for a dental procedure after we identified a traumatic underbite, meaning when she ate, played, or even closed her mouth, her front top teeth (incisors) contacted the tissue behind her bottom teeth in her mouth. Over time, this lead to hair being deposited in these holes and causing further trauma to her bottom jaw. She came to see Dr. Gifford to have her bite assessed under anesthesia and determine which teeth needed to be removed to give this little lady a more normal bite free of discomfort. Before anesthesia, she was also found to have what is called a complicated crown fracture of one of her upper incisors, meaning the tooth had broken and exposed the important nerve and vessel supply found within the center of the tooth. This can be painful to leave in the mouth and lead to infection, so it was extracted in addition to all of her bottom incisors and all but one of her top incisors. Once the teeth were out, the real puzzle began; how do we close these extraction sites and heal the previously hair filled wounds in her mouth? The answer? We elevated more tissue in front of the teeth, including a portion of this girl’s lip to stretch and cover not just the old holes, but the ones left from extracting all of those lower incisors. Ultimately, we were able to identify traumatic dental disease, identify strategic teeth to be extracted, and close up the defects (old and new), to give this girl a more comfortable (albeit gummy) smile!
Not all underbites lead to situations such as this, but this is a great example of why it’s so important to do regular exams of your dog (or cat’s) mouth! Early identification and intervention of dental disease and other oral pathology is incredibly important for your pets overall health and wellbeing! If you haven’t looked inside your pet’s mouth recently, set up an appointment with us and we would love to make sure your pet’s smile is as perfect as they are!❤️