We assess each patient individually, considering their health history, age and any concurrent medical conditions, to tailor the anaesthetic approach to their specific needs.
Have you been told that your pet may require extraction of some or all of its teeth? This can be an overwhelming prospect, and it is completely normal to require reassurance prior to making the decision to have this treatment performed.
When it's Recommended
When we recommend extraction of all or most of your pet’s teeth, this is not a decision we take lightly. We will only make this recommendation when we feel there is a significant benefit to be gained in improved comfort and quality of life following treatment. Full mouth extractions will most often be suggested for patients affected by the following conditions:
- Chronic gingivostomatitis
- Canine chronic ulcerative stomatitis (CCUS)
- Severe and advanced periodontal disease
- Juvenile periodontitis
Of course, this list is not all-inclusive, and full-mouth extractions may occasionally be required for other reasons.
“A full mouth tooth extraction isn’t about removing teeth — it’s about removing pain and giving pets a better quality of life.”
Benefits of Full Mouth Extractions
In most cases, full mouth extractions are recommended for patients with progressive and painful oral diseases that medical treatment cannot effectively manage or where the long-term effects of medications outweigh their benefits.
Pets on long-term medications like immunosuppressants, pain relief and antibiotics may no longer need these drugs after the extractions. This approach aims to alleviate pain, resolve the underlying disease and improve your pet’s quality of life.
Additionally, full-mouth extractions eliminate the need for rigorous home care and frequent professional treatments under general anaesthesia, which are otherwise necessary to manage these conditions.
Possible consequences
Removal of all of your pet’s teeth will result in some structural changes to their jaw. Rest assured that most of these are cosmetic in nature and are not true medical concerns.
The changes we observe are most frequently seen in our canine friends and are generally related to the tongue being more likely to poke out of the mouth. For some patients, this is an occasional occurrence, but for others, it is a frequent observation. This is rarely observed in cats following full-mouth extractions.
For patients with underlying immune-mediated conditions, most notably feline chronic gingivostomatitis, this form of treatment may not result in complete resolution of their underlying oral pain and discomfort, and some form of ongoing medical treatment may still be required.
You may also have heard that there is a risk of jaw fracture during the extraction process. This risk is very low when the extractions are performed by skilled individuals and is greatly outweighed by the potential benefits of tooth removal.
“Most pets don’t miss their teeth; they thrive once chronic infection and discomfort are finally gone.”
But how will they eat?
This is the biggest concern expressed by pet owners.
Dogs and cats have significantly different dentition to us. Our pets have teeth that are designed to cut food into bite sized pieces rather than chew or grind their food in the way we do.
In most cases, very limited changes to your pets diet will be required, as most of the foods we feed are already in appropriately sized chunks (dry food, meat, tinned food).
Many of our patients will continue to eat their dry food as if nothing has changed, even after having all of their teeth removed.
Of course, chewing on dental chews and bones will no longer be appropriate.
Having all of your pet’s teeth removed is a scary proposition but one that our clients rarely express regret over when they see the dramatic improvement in their pets demeanour and quality of life on the other side of treatment.
