Endodontic disease is the hidden disease in the mouth that usually results in long term low grade pain. Since animals have few “cavity problems” the number one cause of endodontic problems is broken teeth. This will ultimately end up as a serious condition for the animal resulting in infection and tooth loss. When an animal breaks a tooth and exposes the pulp or “nerve” on the inside of the tooth the first thing the animal experiences is acute pain. This pain will eventually subside and become dull pain as the pulp on the inside of the tooth becomes infected and dies. This infection continues down the inside of the tooth to the tip of the root where it enters into the body. Once inside the body the infection can spread to the rest of the organs. The reason the disease is hidden and takes so long to become evident is that the animals defense mechanism does its best to control the infection at the base of the broken tooth. However, the bacteria most always prevail and the infection becomes huge. Once the signs of swelling and drainage occur the chances of successful treatment are reduced because of the extreme amount of damage done to the internal structures supporting the tooth. The best recommendation is to have any broken tooth in an animal immediately cared for by a veterinarian trained in advanced dentistry. Root canal therapy is very successful in companion animals and many teeth that would have been extracted are now saved.
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