Practical Dentistry

Brook A. Niemiec, DVM, FAVD, Diplomate AVDC & EVDC Southern California Veterinary Dental Specialties & Oral Surgery, San Diego, California Periodontal disease is the number one diagnosed problem in small animal veterinary medicine.1,2 Therefore, treatment and prevention of this malady are the subject of significant research, which has resulted in numerous new products and procedures—in …

Brook A. Niemiec, DVM, FAVD, Diplomate AVDC & EVDC Southern California Veterinary Dental Specialties, San Diego, California Exposing diagnostic dental images can be frustrating for the novice; however, with a small amount of training and practice, it can be mastered. This article is a brief introduction to exposure techniques for intraoral radiology. Further training via …

Brook A. Niemiec, DVM, FAVD, Diplomate AVDC, Southern California Veterinary Dental Specialties & Oral Surgery, San Diego, California Periodontal disease is the number one problem in small animal medicine.1,2 In fact, the classic university study reported that, by 2 years of age, 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have some form of periodontal disease.3 …

Brook A. Niemiec, DVM, FAVD, Diplomate AVDC, Southern California Veterinary Dental Specialties, San Diego, California Many types of hard tissue pathology affect small animal veterinary patients. Many of these are caused by a form of trauma, but acidic degradation, infection, and genetics also play a role. ENAMEL HYPOCALCIFICATION/HYPOPLASIA1-4 Enamel is a very thin (< 1 …

Brook A. Niemiec, DVM, FAVD, Diplomate AVDC Southern California Veterinary Dental Specialties, San Diego, California Dr. Niemiec reviews several of the most common ulcerative diseases in dogs and cats, including etiology, presentation, diagnosis, and treatment/management. An ulcer is a break in the skin or mucous membrane, with loss of surface tissue, disintegration, and necrosis of …

Brook A. Niemiec, DVM, FAVD, Diplomate AVDC A dog presents with facial swelling under its left eye and has a history of a premolar extraction. Based on the photo, radiograph, and details from the presentation and case workup, we ask you to tell us the diagnosis. QUESTIONS Figure 1 shows a dog with facial swelling …

Brook A. Niemiec, DVM, FAVD, Diplomate AVDC This case series provides 3 pages of images, details, and questions, challenging you to diagnose and determine the therapeutic approach you would chose for the patient. For this issue, mandibular periodontal disease is obvious in the initial image, but there is much more to consider before reaching a …

Brook A. Niemiec, DVM, FAVD, Diplomate AVDC This is the seventh article in the Practical Dentistry series, which is focused on teaching veterinary professionals how to provide high-quality dental care as well as communicate with clients in order to help them understand why this care is so important for their pets.The first six articles in the series …

Brook A. Niemiec, DVM, FAVD, Diplomate AVDC The oral cavity is a very common place to encounter neoplastic growths, which may range from benign to malignant.1-3 The key to successful therapy of oral masses is early detection and definitive diagnosis. The best therapy for oral masses is complete surgical resection.1,4-5 If surgery is performed early, the procedure …