QUARTERLY BEAT / APRIL 2025
or penetrate the nasal cavity in a very small patient. Apply a stair-step technique when measuring periodontal pockets; advance gently every few millimeters 360 degrees around each tooth. Sweeping the probe along the gumline can miss a focally deep pocket. By probing on every side of each tooth, pockets are measured as well as assessing any furcation exposure. Keep in mind that teeth with three roots have more than one furcation to assess. The deepest pocket is recorded on the dental chart diagram representing its actual location for future exams. Pockets of normal anatomical depth do not need to be charted. NORMAL SULCUS DEPTH • Dogs: up to 3mm, with some normal variation in very large dog breeds (i.e., a 4mm pocket of the maxillary canine in a Great Dane may be considered normal in the absence of gingivitis) • Cats: 0.5 to 1mm DIRECTIONAL TERMS • Rostral: near the front of the face • Caudal: toward the back of the mouth
completely crowding each other at a full rotation. These pathologies often go hand in hand. For example, brachycephalic patients with significant skeletal deformity of the skull and shortened facial features are prone to periodontal disease in these areas due to additional surface area for plaque accumulation. A brasion /A ttrition (AB or AT) A crown is affected by both internal and external factors. Abrasion is caused by outside influences such as wear from chewing hard or abrasive objects (tennis balls, treats, toys, etc.). Attrition is a defect caused by two teeth in the mouth making repeated contact, causing wear of the enamel. Both types of pathology are gradual and are accompanied by tertiary dentin, which is the body’s process of protecting the tooth by forming a barrier to the dentin and pulp. Tertiary dentin is smooth and glassy, often showing dark circles around the pulp beneath. C rown F ractures Fractures are classified by their effect on the tooth. Complicated fractures expose the pulp causing pain and immediate vulnerability to infection. Uncomplicated fractures do not expose the pulp but still make the tooth vulnerable to infection through the dentin’s microscopic tubules. Although unlikely to cause pain directly, it should be documented in the dental chart as an “area to watch”. When the fracture advances below the gumline, it is further classified with the following terms: • Complicated crown fracture: CCF • Complicated crown/root fracture: CCRF • Uncomplicated fracture: UCF • Uncomplicated crown/root fracture: CCRF (often referred to as Slab Fracture) G ingival R ecession (GR) Recession is measured in millimeters from the cementoenamel junction (the normal location of the gingival margin) to the current level of the gingiva which is part of a total attachment loss. E xtrinsic S taining (ES) Extrinsic staining effects only the enamel and is characterized by a tan, rust, or brown color. It can be found with or without enamel defects and can be referred to as generalized if it is affected by many/most teeth in the mouth. D iscolored T ooth (I ntrinsic S taining ) (IS) or N on - vital (T/NV) Staining inside the tooth (intrinsic) is a sign that the tooth has somehow been traumatized and inflammation occurred (pulpitis), leaving blood from the pulp canal to enter the dentinal tubules. As time passes, the tooth may appear pink, purple, grey, or tan. It is rare that a tooth can recover from pulpitis; most of the time, these teeth will be diagnosed by the doctor as non-vital. Evidence shows that 92% of discolored teeth are dead and 42% of those studied had no radiographic changes. Discolored teeth should be treated and thus recorded and discussed with the owner.
• Mesial: toward the midline (nose) • Distal: toward the back of the mouth
• Palatal: inside surface of a tooth on the maxilla • Lingual: inside surface of a tooth on the mandible • Combinations of these terms to describe exact location: mesiobuccal, distopalatal, mesiolingual, etc.
STAGES AND INDICES S tages of P eriodontal D isease • PD0 Anatomically normal, no gingivitis • PD1 Mild gingivitis, no bone loss • PD2 Early perio, <25% attachment loss • PD3 25 - 50% attachment loss • PD3 25 - 50% attachment loss • PD4 >50% attachment loss F urcation I ndex • F1 Probe halfway into the furcation • F2 Greater than halfway • F3 Through and through C alculus I ndex - C rown is C overed • C1 <25% • C2 25-50% • C3 >50% M obility I ndex • M1 0.2 - 0.5mm in one direction • M2 0.5 – 1mm in one direction • M3 – 1mm in any direction: “the joystick” COMMON PATHOLOGY R otation and C rowding - ROT/CWD
HIGHLIGHTS
WEBINAR
Rotation is an abnormal angle of a tooth relative to other teeth in the arcade. Crowding is when teeth lack an interdental space, either overlapping or
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