Taje: Unfortunately the only alternatives would be to allow Bruce's bite to worsen becoming painful, cutting his hard pallet on top, and eventually making it so he cannot pick up food on his own...OR...having all the bottom teeth pulled and then I would have to hand feed him soft food...So sadly as much as I hate to put him through it braces are the most healthy option.

Millie: I live in Seattle, WA (although Bruce and I are on a short hiatus in Alaska). We see both Dr. Gregg Dupont & Dr. Gene Rivers in Seattle for his dental care, one is a dentist, one an oral surgeon and orthodontist. I have been very pleased with their knowledge and the quality of care they give my baby! I do know though that dental work is a bit more traumatic for dogs than us, so most doctors are reluctant to do purely cosmetic work on them. But if you really want it done I would make sure you find a dentist that is a member of the Academy of Vetrinary Dentists so that you know they specialize in dentistry and have proper training. Many irresponsible vets practice dentistry without the special training and expertise necessary so be careful!

I've never heard of that before!!

Wow i have never heard of that i wonder how that looks.

Wow, braces for dogs, hmmm.... I am not trying to be negative, but those have got to hurt. I've had braces twice, once recently as an adult and it is very painful. It is also very irritating to the skin on the inside of your mouth. And brushing is difficult. Sounds like it would be very hard to have your dog in braces.
I wish you the best of luck!

My vet suggested braces on my little girl also she has a small underbite, she is 15 months old, and I just can't see putting her through the pain of braces she eats good and can pick up food okay, if she was losing weight from not eating then maybe i would consider it but she has done very well for a underbite. my vet said the same thing at her first puppy visit.

Yeah I would never do it either having had braces myself except it has gotten very serious as Bruce has been growing and is projected to continue to worsen without correction. The real problem being damage to his upper hard pallet from the bottom teeth :( . We have tried to find alternatives but this is the only way to really insure he will be able to eat independently and be normal and happy. I sure love the little guy so I figure we have to do it!

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That is so interesting. I do not understand how braces can change a jaw. An undershot bite is not because the teeth jut out, the entire jaw juts out too far...will this correct the jaw and bring in back into the proper place..can that be done without surgery to shorten the jaw itself? Maybe, the teeth are corrected as not to strike each other improperly..so interesting.

YorkieRose: The size, shape, and placement of the teeth affect how the jaw grows. etc...These work just like braces for a human...They will have 3 basic parts: the brackets, bonding material, and an arch wire. When the arch wire is adjusted on the teeth it will pull them and the jaw back to a healthy position ever so slowly. Basically you could describe the process as "Bone remodeling" Bones are made of cells called osteoclasts and osteoblasts.

Bone remodeling works like this: increase the load on a bone and osteoclasts are created which break it down in response to the load. Remove the load and osteoblasts are created which create new bony cells. Repeat the process through repetitive motion and eventually the bone density increases.

Bruce's teeth just like our human teeth are socketed in bone (the maxilla for the upper teeth, and the mandible for the llower teeth). As mentioned, surrounding each tooth is a Periodontal Ligament (PDL) which attaches it to the surrounding bone.

The PDL is a sort of messenger between the teeth and surrounding bony sockets. Pressure between the PDL and bone causes the bone to create osteoclasts and breakdown the bone to restore the normal spacing between the teeth and bone. The corresponding tension on the PDL behind the movement causes the bone to create osteoblasts, effectively building new bone to fill in the difference and restore the normal spacing between teeth and bone. Not a whole lot of force is necessary, only "some" force which is not normally present.

Enter the brackets and arch wire - the artificial force needed to create and sustain the pressure.

Hence the whole jaw can typically be reformed in a sense if the maloclussion is dealt with early enough.

Way too much info I am sure but I have been reading up on this a lot because I felt the same way that surgery would probably be necessary at first.

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Thanks for explaining..this is very interesting...we want a picutre of Bruce with his braces!