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Endodontics

From the mid-1970’s advanced dental treatments for cats and dogs have been steadily growing in popularity worldwide and in the United States.

The word endodontics is an amalgamation of two Greek words – “endo” means “inside” and “odont” means “tooth.” Endodontics is a field of dentistry that involves the tooth’s dental pulp and the root’s surrounding tissue.

Extend the Life of Your Pet's Teeth

By diagnosing and treating the diseases and injuries of the root’s tissue, endodontics helps to not only save your pet’s teeth but also to prevent the onset of additional infection.

What Causes a Tooth Infection?

The tooth’s innermost part is the soft dental pulp. It is encased in the enamel, which is the outer part of the tooth. Both the enamel as well as its underlying dentin safeguards the pulp. Dentin is the dense bony tissue that forms the bulk of the tooth. Due to the protection of the enamel and the dentin, the soft vulnerable pulp is barricaded from disease-causing microbes in the mouth.

When tooth decay occurs, the outer protective layer is corroded by cavities or holes that lay a direct pathway for the microbes to reach the dental pulp. It also leaves the pulp exposed to varying temperatures in food and drink. The pulp is blessed with nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue, so when an infection sets in the nerves it sends out signals of pain causing your pet to feel toothache and sensitivity.

When is Endodontic Treatment Necessary?

Like humans, dogs and cats require all their faculties to function normally if they are to stay in the best of health. If dental health is neglected, it can sometimes lead to the following consequences:

  • They become a danger to public health – as a result of pathogenic bacteria in the mouth that can be transmitted to loved ones or anyone who your pet licks or sneezes on.
  • They also become a danger to public safety – the mouth is the beginning of the alimentary system and if the animal experiences pain, it can probably project that symptom of irritation by harming people or other animals.
  • They develop poor eating habits as a direct consequence of the discomfort and that might lead to other health complications.

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New patient consultations are available in the mornings, Tuesday through Friday at Culver City, and on Mondays at Woodland Hills.

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Some Advantages of Endodontic Treatment

  • The good news is endodontic therapy is not as invasive a treatment as surgical extraction, so it is comparatively a much simpler and faster technique and is easier on your pet.
  • A root canal involves saving the tooth so the structure is much stronger than if an implant were used to fill in the gap of an extraction or a lost tooth.
  • More likely to last for the entire life span of your pet.
  • Aesthetically more pleasing.

Important Factors to Consider with Endodontic Treatment

Endodontic covers a range of treatments from those more simple in nature to those clinical conditions that require more complex treatment. Since the milk teeth of cats and dogs are shed relatively quickly in their formative years as compared with humans, typically most endodontic treatment is carried out on adult teeth. The technique of treatment is based on the following factors:

  • The seriousness and period of time your pet has had the infection or the injury.
  • What is the phase of the tooth’s development.
  • What is the tooth’s primary purpose.

Compassionate Dental Care

Dogs and cats usually suffer in silence. They rarely exhibit any signs of oral infection or pain. Since animals who have endodontic disease do not usually display clinical symptoms of pain, they usually have to endure it for a long period of time before it is diagnosed and treated. If you want to have an oral exam conducted for your pet bring them to Dog and Cat Dentist.

Our founder Dr. Anson Tsugawa leads a team of highly specialized physicians. They hold the distinction of being the only veterinary dentistry specialists in Los Angeles. So your cat or dog not only has easy access to the finest expertise in the area but also the most personalized care because we strongly believe in care with compassion.

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