Sometimes baby teeth just will not go away

Hurley

I saw a very sweet mixed breed dog today named Hurley (not sure if he was named after one of my favorite characters on Lost - I really miss that show).  He served as a good reminder that some baby teeth (aka deciduous teeth) do not fall out like they should.  Most dogs start losing their baby teeth around 4 months of age.  In most breeds all the baby teeth are lost and all the adult teeth are present by 6 months of age. 

Hurley is 7 months old and was still hanging on to several of his baby canine teeth.  The general rule is that two teeth should not occupy the space where only one tooth belongs.  The crowding caused by the retained baby teeth can cause problems with the adult teeth so they needed to be extracted.  The right upper jaw of Hurley's mouth looked like this:

The baby tooth is the short tooth directly behind the large canine tooth.  Of particular interest is that this baby tooth is fractured.  The fracture has resulted in an infection at the root of the tooth.  If you look closely at the image you may be able to notice a small tract that looks like a pimple just above the first premolar.  I have treated quite a few puppies with fractured baby canine teeth and infected tooth roots are common when the tooth pulp is exposed.  Fortunately removal of the tooth will usually allow for complete healing.  Hurley did great today and was a real pleasure to treat.

Fun with lemurs

Root Canal Therapy on a Red-bellied Lemur

I was just a little nervous when Dr Schopler, one the veterinarians at the Duke Lemur Center, said, "there are only 7 other red-bellied lemurs in captivity in North America" as they started the anesthesia.  Fortunately the veterinarians and support staff at the Center are excellent when it comes to anesthesia in lemurs.  The staff has years of experience and training plus the latest in veterinary technology to insure that the risk of anesthesia is minimized.  I think it is safe to say that nobody knows more than the Duke Lemur Center about caring for and treating lemurs in the whole world.

I was there to try to save Hopi's left maxillary canine tooth.  Hopi is a female red-bellied lemur and about 20 years old.  She had worn down the tooth, exposed the pulp and now had a swelling on the same side of her face from the tooth root infection.  The only treatment options for a dead tooth like this are extraction (which requires oral surgery) or root canal therapy.  It turns out that lemurs use their teeth more for social interaction than for eating.  Losing the canine teeth can really upset the social order, so the veterinarians were excited about the chance to save the tooth. 

Thanks to some recent donations of equipment from the people dentists at Duke Pediatric Dentistry the Lemur Center now has dental radiograph capability.  This capability is essential when it comes to performing root canal therapy.  Root canal therapy involves cleaning, filling and sealing the inside of the tooth.  The root canal was not easy due to Hopi's age, but Hopi did great with anesthesia.  We we will have to wait and see if the root canal treatment resolves her infection. 

If you live around Durham, then I would encourage you give the folks at the Lemur Center a call and setup a tour.  It is an amazing place with some really cool animals.  It is just one more reason why I love living and working in Durham.