Bruce is Getting Braces!
 

Well the verdict from Bruce's canine orthodontist is in, Braces or the doggie equivalent at least it is. Bruce has a severe underbite and eventually it would hurt his hard pallet and preclude him from eating normally. I have to wait until he is 8 months but then it will be time. Has anyone else had to do this? I am really afraid they will be so uncomfortable he will stop eating or that the brackets will cut him, not to mention trying to clean them out. YIKES! If anyone else's baby has gone through something similar, what was it like?

That's a new one to me, but these days if they do it to humans they can also do it to dogs... :confused: Did they mention how long they would need to be on? I'd think it would hurt. :(

I have never heard of such a thing. WOW :eek:

Braces on a dog, go figure??
Did your vet or Orthodonist have any good info on this? Like cleaning, appetite loss, etc?

That's AWESOME - I've never heard of it - but I have to HAND FEED my cocker Tessa due to a serious underbite - as a puppy she had trouble picking up food -and I tried tons....so I had to hand feed her - but she's learned to eat out of a dish on her own - but it's only been a few times....I think she's a tiny bit spoiled :D

OMG!!! Definitley a new one to me. How old is Bruce? Is there any chance that he will outgrow this??? Tino was still losing teeth (molars) at 10 months, I would think you would want to wait until he was completely finished with teething.

I have not heard of braces for dogs, but then again medical technology has come a long way. I know he will have beautiful teeth.

Bruce is currently 6 months, but the problem with his bite was immediately noticed by our vetrinarian at his first well puppy visit...To try and correct it then because there was some inflamation in the top of his mouth we removed what appeared to be incideous baby teeth while he was being nuetered at 4 months. The problem has worsened now as he grows and so we had to go to a canine dentist/orthodontist...We are planning to wait until 8 months to have the braces put on and this is really all I know about them accept that he needs them for sure...
(1) He will need to wear them for as little as 2 months or perhaps as long as 18 months. They will be tightened just like human braces, and he may need to wear rubber bands on them that I will need to remove for feedings.
(2) I will need to brush his teeth daily rather than every 2 days and he will have to have his mouth sprayed with an anticeptic a few times a day.
(3) It will require at least one but perhaps as many as 5 vet visits per month
(4) No chew toys
(5) Supposedly there will be little discomfort and he will get used to them quickly. This is what I have a hard time believing...I never got used to my braces when I had them...So this is what I was wondering about mostly!
(6) They will cost anywhere from $1500-$4000 depending on how long he wears them!

I am just really shocked about all this. I would do anything for this dog though, so long as it is actually in his best interests!

I am sooooooo sorry! I would be upset too but it sounds like you have been given a ton of info! I was just hoping there was a chance Bruce could outgrow it since he is still developing!

Wow! Is there no alternative?? this sounds expensive and time consuming not to mention painful for Bruce!

Here's an article:

http://www.kovr13.com/11nov00/111500d.htm

I had never heard of braces for a dog either, I will check into it though since Buddy has an underbite. We joked about him going to my stepdaughter's (which I went to also) orthodondist when we seen that he had an underbite.

I am so sorry lil Bruce has this problem..thank God he has such a good moma that would do anything to make him get better. I had read about braces but never met anybody who got it for their dogs...i wish you guys the best of luck, that everything works out and hope that Bruce gets better and does not need the braces...

Ouch!
 

wow i've never heard of that!!

Where do you live?
 

I have been looking for a canine dentist for Benni, where do you live? Benni was given a very strong antibiotic from his BYB prior to my purchase of him and it discolored the enamel in his teeth. No serious damage, just cosmetic injury, I would like to find out more about capping his canine teeth. Thought maybe I could get a location from you and maybe see what can be done.

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!

braces
 

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.

braces
 

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