Dental Surgery

Common Dental Conditions

Some common health issues which may require dental surgery to treat are as follows:

• Jaw fractures
• Cracked or broken teeth
• Tooth decay
• Feline stomatitis
• Severe gum disease (periodontitis)
• TMJ (temporomandibular joint) luxation or dysplasia

Dental Surgery FAQs

• What happens during the surgical consultation?

  During the surgical consultation, our vets will perform a physical examination of your pet and conduct tests, including blood work, in order to determine the nature of their condition.  

  Diagnostics may include x-rays, ultrasounds, EKGs or biopsies. After we get the results back, we will develop a surgical plant and discuss it with you.

• Will the surgery and consultation happen on the same day?

  It varies. A consultation appointment is required for testing and examination to determine the nature of your pet’s health problem. Once any diagnostic test results have come back from the in-house lab, we may schedule your pet’s surgery for the same day, or we may need to set the surgery for another day.

• How long will the surgery take?

  Dental surgeries will often last between 2 and 4 hours, with some difference depending on the kind of surgery being performed and on your pet's condition. 

• Does my pet have to stay at the hospital overnight either before or after the surgery?

  No! Most dental surgeries don't require any overnight oversight for patients. However, some do, and in these cases, you pet will require continuous monitoring from one of the local 24-hour emergency facilities before they can return home in the coming days. 

Home Care After a Dental Surgery

After dental surgery has been completed and your vet has decided they don't require any further in-hospital monitoring, it will be time for your pet to come home. 

Depending on the variety of dental surgeries your pet has undergone, you should follow the post-operative instructions our vets have provided you. If you aren't able to remember them, you may always contact us and ask for more detail.

Your pet may require pain relief and anti-inflammatory medications and will also need plenty of rest. As a rule, try and prevent your pet from undertaking too much physical activity for 48 hours after their procedure. 

Since dental surgery may make your pet's mouth more sensitive to injury or infection, it's important that you follow the instructions you've been given about feeding and watering throughout the healing process. 

If your pet is not eating, is rubbing its mouth, or is showing signs of infection like swelling or bleeding, contact our PetVax Complete Care Centers staff as soon as possible.