Dental Surgery
At Paws and Claws Veterinary Hospital, our veterinary team provides dental surgery services for pets suffering from a wide variety of oral health issues.
What is Dental Surgery?
Dental surgery is any surgical procedure, which addresses oral health issues experienced by your pet. Routine dental health care, both at home and at annual appointments, is the best way to ensure your pet's oral health.
However, our expert staff also offers surgical services in order to restore your companion's dental health and treat a wide range of issues, from tooth decay to gum disease.
Common Dental Conditions
Some common health issues which may require dental surgery to treat are as follows:
- Cracked or broken teeth
- Tooth decay
- Severe gum disease (periodontitis)
- Jaw fractures
- TMJ (temporomandibular joint) luxation or dysplasia
- Feline stomatitis
Home Care After a Dental Surgery
After dental surgery has been completed and your vet as decided they don't require any further in-hospital monitoring, it will be time for your pet to come home.
Depending on the kind of dental surgery your pet underwent, they will have different needs. First and foremost, you should follow the post-operative care instructions provided to your by your vet, If you cannot remember, you can always contact them to ask.
If your pet is not eating, is rubbing their mouth, or is showing signs of infection like swelling or bleeding, contact your Tracy vet as soon as possible.
Dental Surgery FAQs
To find out more about dental surgery at our Tracy vet clinic read through the answers below.
- What happens during the surgical consultation?
During the surgical consultation, our vets will perform a physical examination of your pet and conduct tests, including blood work, in order to determine the nature of their condition.
Diagnostics may include x-rays, a CT scan, an ultrasound, or biopsies. Once the results are back, a plan for surgery is developed and discussed with you.
- Will the surgery and consultation happen on the same day?
No. The consultation appointment is required for testing and examination, to determine the nature of your pet's health problem. Once any diagnostic test results have come back from our lab, a surgery appointment can be scheduled.
- How long will the surgery take?
Dental surgeries will often last between 2 and 4 hours, with some difference depending on the kind of surgery being performed and on your pet's condition.
- Does my pet have to stay at the hospital overnight either before or after the surgery?
Depending on the time of day that the surgery is scheduled, it may be necessary to drop your pet off the night before.
Most of our patients need to stay with us the night after surgery for monitoring as they recover. However, depending on the kind of surgery that was performed and how quickly your pet recovers from anesthesia, they may be able to return home the same day.