Well, Oscar had his root canal yesterday. Thank goodness its OVER!

They worked on him for about 3.5 hours (this included a little teeth cleaning) and did a really beautiful job. Not that I'm any expert in canine dentistry, but I can tell a professional job when I see one. They provided me with a very thorough analysis of what they had done, including x-rays of the molar pre and post root canal (pretty darn cool), along with a chart of what they had found upon examination of each of his other teeth - from gingivitis to tiny chips to natural wear caused by malocclusion (his bite isn't quite perfect). I'm a sucker for details, so I was excited to see how much they shared with me and talk with them about it.

All in all they said his teeth looked good and were quite clean (they cleaned them anyway, because they could) and probably wouldn't have needed to be cleaned had he not come in for something else, BUT, the dentist did make mention of a large number of small fractures/chips on other teeth (not requiring any action, but fractures none the less) and I'm wondering now whether this is common in raw fed dogs who get to gnaw on *appropriate* bones? I know raw feeders don't often take their dog's in for teeth cleaning, but has anyone out there who HAS taken your raw fed dogs in had a similar exam - with lots of little chips? It made me a little concerned... Oscar doesn't chew on much besides his food, so the damage noted was likely all from bones (yes, some of them were marrow bones...). While I'll never go back to kibble, I AM going to modify his diet to avoid some of the harder bones we've fed in the past.

All in all, and direct hit to my wallet aside, I'm glad we had it done - considering he could have a big hole in his mouth right now. We'll see how it holds up! I'm leaning towards NO cap on this tooth at this time, only because it will double the cost, but it could, as I understand, easily be done later on, and I'm open to argument if anyone wants to promote the addition of a little bling to Oscar's smile... The dentist wasn't sure it would offer a whole lot more strength to the tooth, but I just don't know.

Thanks to all who offered their support through this process - it was much appreciated!! And hopefully we'll be able to avoid the doggie dentist for a while now...

Cheers,
~Natalya

Really glad to hear it went well, Natalya

I guess we know what Oscar's Christmas gift is this year

I'm glad they did well, and that Oscar did well, also! Cannot have been fun.

Regarding your question on raw/tooth cracks etc that is very interesting. None of my dogs ever needed anything done with their teeth, but naive me gave all those hearty chew-driven dogs big ole honkin beef marrow bones for years and years and was blissfully unaware of the risks.

Considering some of the things dogs chew on when we aren't looking I wonder about the general state of canine molars across the world... I will be keeping much closer watch on the teeth of my critters from now on.

 Quote: Sarah Morris

I guess we know what Oscar's Christmas gift is this year

Oh yes... and I'll have to explain why all the OTHER gift recipients on my list are only getting wool socks this year!

Too bad the pup isn't currently enjoying his expensive present very much - the anesthesia is still working it's way out of his system and he's not quite back to himself. Lots of whining and quite pathetic looks...

~Natalya

Glad to hear your boy is ok!!!

Thanks Terra!

And just so you know (I'm assuming you hear this every day) your puppy is THE cutest little thing EVER! He's probably not even that "little" anymore, but boy is he gorgeous...

~Natalya

Thank you Natalya!
He is very special to me and we have bonded very well. It seems like this guys grows during his naps, puppyhood is way too short so we have got to enjoy it while it's here.
I think I will steer clear of marrow bones for the future though...... Glad you shared your story and made us more aware of what bones were giving to the dogs.

Natalya,

Glad it went well. Having been through this myself, I share your pain over the hit to the wallet though.
Re the chips and cracks: the veterinary dentist who did Dillon's root canal and cap is fine with the fact that I feed raw, but warned me off hard bones such as marrow bones or beef ribs - he says he gets plenty of extra business that way, whether or not said bones are part of a raw diet.

natalya, that's great news! i'm sure oscar will be thrilled once the anaesthia wears off