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Lingually Displaced Mandibular Canines
Often spotted at the six-month puppy check. The permanent lower canines occlude into the hard palate causing severe discomfort and, possibly, oral nasal fistulae. See our article from Vet Times 18 Dec 2006
These teeth can be treated by various methods - surgical removal of the lower canines teeth (and often incisors too), crown amputation and partial pulpectomy or by orthodontics via an inclined bite plane bonded to the upper canines and incisors. The latter option may not be available to all dogs if the diastema between the upper incisor and canine is too small for the lower canines to move into or if the lower canines are located behind (palatal) to the upper canines.
Crown amputation involves reducing the height of the lower canines to that of the adjacent incisors. Clearly this surgery exposes the pulp and requires a partial coronal pulpectomy with a direct pulp dressing. This procedure carries a failure rate (the pulp dies) of around 25%. In order to monitor this we require to radiograph the teeth on a regular basis for the first two years post-op.
Surgical extraction is attractive to many clients as the problem is immediately dealt with without the uncertainties and post-op. checks that are part of any crown amputation procedure.
The images below show a lingually displaced left lower canine before treatment and after application of a bite plane. The bite plane remains in the mouth as long as it takes for the power of the bite to tip the lower canine into the normal position by pushing it up the incline - about 4-6 weeks on average.
| Common case types |
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Click the following links for more details on the most common referral case types. |
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