So what if your dog or cat is missing a few teeth, it just makes their smile more charming, right? Maybe. But in some cases what appears to be “just a missing tooth” is actually “a tooth that never erupted” or pushed through the gums to see the light of day. This can lead to something called a dentigerous cyst, essentially a fluid filled sac in the jaw, the wayward tooth trying to create a path to nowhere. This is the same reason humans often have impacted (unerupted) wisdom teeth removed, to prevent these same cysts.

At Healthy Paws Animal Hospital an oral exam is part of our nose to tail physical exam and often when missing teeth are identified. We also perform a complete oral exam and tooth count while our patients are under anesthesia for their spay or neuter surgery. This allows our team to perform digital dental radiographs, discuss findings and options real time with the owner and extract any hidden teeth preventing the need for an additional procedure in the future.

Fun fact…Wisdom teeth in humans, named this because they typically erupt at the “age of wisdom”, 17-25, while necessary for our ancestors have no real purpose today. As our diets became softer, the human jaw became shorter, leaving little room for these back molars.

If you are wondering if your pet is missing teeth, give us a call and we can schedule an oral exam and discuss options.