In some cases of mild dental disease, there are surgical procedures we can perform to slow down the disease progression, so that we do not have to remove that tooth at that point in time. The ability to do this depends on the degree of gum disease, the health of the tooth and the ability to carry out daily toothbrushing at home.
Examples of cases where we would consider this kind of treatment:
Gingival hyperplasia (overgrown gums)
This is commonly seen in boxer dogs but can be seen in all breeds. Overgrowth of the gums can lead to ‘pseudo pockets’ which will trap plaque and increase the risk of gum disease. Treatment involves trimming and re-shaping the gums with specialist burs to reduce plaque-trapping. Biopsies are taken as some growths can be tumour tissue. As part of this problem is genetic, the gums may grow back and need
subsequent procedures.
Mild periodontitis
Some cases of periodontitis may have a small degree of bone loss +/- gingival pocket +/- gum recession, but still an acceptable degree of overall tooth attachment. There are various procedures (including trimming, re-shaping, root planning and curettage) that can be performed to aim to slow down periodontal disease and preserve the tooth for as long as possible. These cases can vary a lot so discussion of the case prior to referral is necessary.
Alveolar bone expansion in cats.
When cats have periodontal disease, one of the features is expansion of the bone. This ends up creating a deeper and wider pocket, making it easier for plaque to get trapped and speed up the progression of the disease and therefore tooth loss. If we catch this at an early enough stage, when there is still enough attachment around the rest of the tooth, we can slow down the process. This is done by surgically re-shaping the bone and re-attaching the gum to create a normal shape and eliminate the pocket.