While your family veterinarian can take care of most of your animal’s routine dental needs, there are some reasons you should seek the care of a board-certified veterinary dental specialist, instead. By partnering with your primary care veterinarian, experts in the Small Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery service at the CSU Veterinary Health System can provide comprehensive care to your dog or cat. We often consult with primary veterinarians over the phone, but other times you may need to schedule a consultation for your pet to be seen by our dentistry team.

Five reasons to see a veterinary dental specialist:

  • High-risk anesthesia patients: With the support of our world-class anesthesia department, we can safely anesthetize even high-risk patients. If your pet has advanced dental disease, heart disease, kidney disease, and/or lung disease, they are considered high risk. When you take your dog or cat to CSU for an anesthetized dental procedure, they are in safe hands with our board-certified anesthesia and analgesia experts.
  • Maxillofacial trauma: Some of the most common causes of trauma include altercations with other animals and vehicular trauma. Unfortunately, both dogs and cats are impacted by events that damage the bones of their face. These injuries can be devastating and require advanced diagnostics and surgical techniques to repair that most family veterinarians can’t offer. Many of our trauma patients come to the VHS through our emergency room, where they are stabilized then transferred to the Small Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery service.
  • Oral tumors: Both dogs and cats can develop tumors in the mouth, and early diagnosis allows us to successfully treat them. Not all oral tumors are cancerous, but even if they aren’t malignant, they often need to be surgically removed. Our ability to diagnose patients with advanced imaging and remove tumors while preserving the function of teeth makes us a resource for veterinarians and owners wanting successful treatment.
  • Fractured teeth: Tooth fractures can occur in dogs and cats for many reasons. Some owners prefer to save their pet’s fractured teeth, which can be done with root canals. Many of our patients come to us to save their teeth. We also work with owners to identify the causes of tooth damage and can determine whether a metal crown is needed to keep the tooth safe.
  • Developmental abnormalities: Some pets have developmental abnormalities associated with their teeth and mouths, which might include cleft palates, malocclusions, or other tooth abnormalities. Our goal with these patients is to provide them with a pain-free, functional life. Cleft palates can be repaired through surgery. Malocclusions occur when teeth and the bones of the faces don’t align normally, and in these cases, teeth can be moved, changed, or removed to reduce tooth-related trauma.