×

Creature Comforts

It’s like pulling teeth

To be a 16-year-old boy and have your wisdom teeth extracted two days after school is out for the summer is truly a drag. Only the “Meanest Mommy in the World” (or MMITW) would do this to her boy. Yup, that’s me. I believe I hold the longest running consecutive title of MMITW (since said boy programmed my iPhone to use this title as my nickname years ago.)

This wisdom teeth thing has contributed to my unpopularity at home, virtually ensuring my reign as MMITW for at least the remainder of this calendar year. Mind you, while I am quite proud of my MMITW status, I truly felt sincere compassion for my boy and his discomforts — I’m not a monster.

But I was not sorry I scheduled the procedure so soon into summer break. The way I see it is it’s better to feel awful with pretty much no responsibilities than to feel awful and know you are missing a whole lot of important stuff. The fact that we knew the wisdom teeth were a burgeoning problem six months ago, but did not get the surgery scheduled until just last week is working within “Standard Daverio Time.”

For the uninitiated, wisdom teeth are four late-arriving deeply-rooted teeth in the very back of a person’s mouth that have a tendency to grow in odd directions, wreaking havoc with surrounding permanent teeth. In my son’s case, all four teeth were coming in sideways, aiming themselves at the neighboring molars and putting years’ and many dollars’ worth of orthodontic work in jeopardy.

Further, if allowed to continue to grow at such cockamamie angles, these teeth were sure to cause supreme discomfort and possibly become a source of serious infection. So, they had to go — and the sooner the better. Fortunately for my son, we got to them in time, and they had not done any damage to his other teeth or caused other problems with his jaw or bite. And it took less than a week for him to be pretty much back to normal, healing quickly.

While animals do not have wisdom teeth, they can have similar issues with abnormal growth of permanent teeth. Dogs have a normal compliment of 42 permanent teeth, cats have 30. (By the way, humans have 32, including the wisdom teeth.)

Breeds with smaller or shorter faces will still grow the same compliment of teeth, all vying for space even if there is no space to be had. Toy and small breed dogs, or the short-nosed dogs and cats like pugs, Shih Tsu, bulldogs and Persian cats are good examples. Some of these afflicted animals have double rows of teeth, as the deciduous (baby) teeth do not fall out as they should, and the permanent teeth grow in nearby.

Many times, if there’s no room for the permanent tooth, it will push up through the gingiva (gum tissue) wherever it can find (or make) space for itself, creating a very crowded, crooked mouth full of too many teeth. Sometimes, this creates difficulty with the normal closure of the mouth and even the ability to chew. Severe cases can have growth abnormalities of the upper or lower jaw as a result of misaligned teeth.

So what can be done with animals that have an improper bite and-or misaligned or supernumerary teeth? Lots. Sometimes, just as in children with crowded mouths, the solution is is to remove a few teeth that are causing the most trouble, making room for the permanent teeth.

But there are some veterinary patients that need more work, and this is when a specialist is called. And, yes, there are veterinary dentists who do nothing but take care of problems with animals’ mouths.

But, you say, dogs don’t wear braces on their teeth — what a ridiculous notion! Ah, and here’s where things get really interesting. Animals CAN have orthodonture. In some cases, an appliance can be made to correct a bite abnormality or misalignment of teeth that is throwing the rest of the mouth off kilter, and once the problem is corrected, the dental appliance can be removed, and voila! Problem solved. I just love science.

By and large, the most common dental maladies in animals are a result of poor hygiene. The simple act of looking at the teeth and gums regularly can help keep their general condition under close scrutiny.

Like the situation with my son’s wisdom teeth, taking care of a dental problem before it becomes terrible is the key to successful treatment versus a long term affliction. And I guarantee if you need to schedule a procedure for dental work on your dog or cat, they will NOT call you the “Meanest Mommy (or Daddy) in the World.”

Daverio is a veterinarian at Williamsport West Veterinary Hospital. Her column is published every other Sunday in the Lifestyle section. She can be reached at life@sungazette.com.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today