Endodontic instruments for root canal therapy.

This article on endodontic instrumentation includes endodontic instruments and techniques of root-canal preparation of teeth in veterinary patients. Familiarity with instruments covered in this article and with advances in veterinary endodontics has become necessary for the veterinary dental practitioner who wishes to practice dentistry using current techniques. Veterinary endodontic techniques that help to retain the teeth longer are increasing in demand as an option to extracting damaged teeth. Endodontic treatment involves removal of the irreversibly damaged pulp, followed by cleaning and shaping of the root canal space using endodontic instruments and subsequent filling, or obturation, with a semisolid material and a sealer.

Endodontic therapy in the veterinary patient.

Standard root canal therapy is more clearly described as conventional endodontics. Most modern endodontic treatment involves removal of the irreversibly damaged pulp followed by cleaning and shaping of the root canal space and subsequent filling, or obturation, with a semisolid material and a sealer. A general increase in awareness of the benefits of veterinary endodontics has created a rise in the demand for endodontic procedures that help to retain the teeth longer. This article on endodontic therapy includes endodontic anatomy, diagnosis of endodontic disease, pulpectomy techniques of access preparation, canal preparation and filling the canal, partial coronal pulpectomy, and treatment of the open apex. Familiarity of the techniques covered in this article and with advances in veterinary endodontics have become necessary for the veterinary dental practitioner.

Are we going round in circles, or standing still (and did the Cheshire cat smile enigmatically because of resorptive lesions)?

April 1, 1995. Recent advances and directions in veterinary dentistry are reviewed, to point out that not a lot of progress is being made on some fronts, and none at all on others. The authors conclude that veterinary dentists should brush their own and their pets' teeth at least once during their professional careers.

Feline lymphoplasmacytic stomatitis associated with monoclonal gammopathy and Bence-Jones proteinuria.

Lymphoplasmacytic stomatitis and gingivitis was diagnosed in an 8-year old female domestic shorthair. The cat had evidence of severe generalized inflammation of the oral cavity. Biopsy samples were evaluated and displayed a lichenoid, interface stomatitis which was predominantly lymphoplasmacytic. Serum protein electrophoresis confirmed a monoclonal gammopathy. Urine protein electrophoresis confirmed Bence-Jones proteinuria. Protein electrophoresis was used to diagnose monoclonal gammopathy (the production of a monoclonal immunoglobulin, or paraprotein, which is associated with a characteristic "M" protein spike on serum electrophoresis). Diseases associated with monoclonal gammopathy are similar in the dog and cat. Alkylating agent chemotherapy is used to rapidly reduce paraprotein concentrations in multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is the most common disorder associated with monoclonal gammopathy. This condition is less common in the cat, compared to the dog. This report examines the diagnosis and treatment of multiple myeloma in a cat presenting with severe stomatitis.

Subgingival odontoclastic resorptive lesions. Classification, treatment, and results in 58 cats.

A commonly recognized dental problem in cats is the resorption of tooth structure and subsequent loss of the tooth. These tooth defects are often very painful, because the sensitive dentin layer is exposed. The destruction of the tooth through odontoclastic resorption is considered a consequence of inflammatory resorption, probably secondary to periodontal inflammation. Because these resorptive lesions are progressive in nature, it is best to stage this progression of resorption in order to address treatment planning. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a group of 58 cats with resorptive lesions to determine the outcome of treatment 6 months or longer after restoration. In 81% of the cats, there was loss of the tooth, evidence of further resorption, or loss of the restoration at one or more resorption sites. Of the 154 teeth restored, only 33% showed no further evidence of loss of tooth structure.

Using epoxy for dental castings.

Important features of epoxy, when used for making dental castings, include rapid production of models without mixing and the production of a precise and nearly indestructible model. The 3M Epoxy system is used to illustrate the step-by-step production of an epoxy study model.

The differential diagnosis and treatment of gingivitis in the cat.

The most common dental disease of cats is gingivitis. This simple inflammatory response results from bacterial plaque attached to the tooth surface. The inflammatory response can progress to periodontitis and further degenerative changes, leading to necrotic and proliferative changes in gingival tissue. This article presents the pathologic changes associated with the progression of gingivitis in cats with an emphasis on immunologic events. Evaluation of gingivitis is followed by a differential diagnosis of gingivitis. Treatment of gingivitis and oral diseases of the cat is presented.