Some dogs have all the (bad) luck when it comes to teeth

This is Zeb. You will have to agree that Zeb is one of the cutest dogs ever.  He came in for a dental evaluation and treatment with a history of severe halitosis and numerous extractions due to periodontal disease.  It was obvious during the physical examination that Jeb was one of the unlucky dogs when it comes to teeth. He had severe and chronic periodontal disease.  Periodontal disease is the most common infection in dogs and cats.  Most dogs and cats over 5 years of age will have some level of periodontal disease.  The disease is caused by a combination of many factors including plaque, type of bacteria in the mouth (over 700 different anaerobic bacteria have been isolated from under the gums in dogs alone!), breed, general health, dental home care and genetics to name a few.  In most dogs and cats the combination of regular professional cleanings and home care will allow them to keep healthy teeth well into their later years of life, but some dogs seem to have severe disease even with really good care.  Such is the case with our happy and very friendly dog, Zeb.  Dogs like Zeb probably have some superinfection of bacterial that result from an ineffective immune response.  The good news is that removal of the teeth stops the infection, odor and pain. 

As always, radiographs of all the teeth are needed.  This did not look all that bad.

But look at the radiograph.  There is very little bone supporting the teeth.

Again this looks normal.

But once again the radiographs tell the story.

In addition to the severe bone loss, two of the incisors in the image had wide pulp cavities compared to the other teeth.  This indicates that these teeth died when Zeb was young.

We had to remove most of the remaining teeth in Zeb's mouth and he was just a happy to see us after surgery as before!  I was happy to tell the owner that fresh breath is here to stay!