Pets get toothaches too

Everyone knows how painful a toothache can be, so it’s incredibly important for our furry friends to have their teeth checked by a veterinarian regularly to ensure they are happy and healthy. Lilly the seven month old Border Collie cross Kelpie recently required specialist orthodontic treatment.

Lilly was surrendered to the RSPCA as her owners were moving. When she arrived our vets noticed she had a narrow jaw and her lower canines were digging into her hard palate… ouch!

Veterinarian and human dentist, Tony Caifa offered to provide orthodontic treatment for Lilly free of charge! What an amazing human. Tony often helps out our Noosa RSPCA pets where needed. Not only is Tony a well-respected veterinarian, he’s also a practicing human dentist and gives global talks on oral care. To have an expert giving his free time to treat our animals is incredible and it’s also helped our current vets learn even more by assisting with medical procedures.

Tony fitted acrylic incline planes on Lilly’s upper canines and burred a groove for the lower canine to follow rather than sitting in Lilly’s gum. Eventually the aim is to move Lilly’s lower canines into a more appropriate anatomical position for her comfort as she grows up.

It can take six to eight weeks for the tooth to move into a better position, but for the moment Lilly can comfortably eat.

Above, the crown extension with Lilly’s mouth closed shows where the left lower canine tooth is today, with a tooth coloured filling to make the tooth sit in a better position. It’s now no longer hitting the roof of her mouth anymore.

After stage one of her surgery, Lilly had to wear an ecollar in her foster care home, eat softened kibble and be kept away from chewing hard objects, as well as having her mouth rinsed daily to clear away any food around her teeth.

Hopefully over the coming weeks Lilly will have a permanent smile that will no longer cause her pain. Currently Tony has recently placed a crown extension on her lower left canine to continue guiding the tooth into a better anatomical position before it finishes developing.

We are pleased to say that Lilly has now found a loving new home and her new parents will be ensuring that Lilly has a bright future ahead!