Dr. David is the owner operator of Hallam Veterinary Clinic and Dental Care For Pets. He has been at the practice since 2003. He obtained his BVSc in 1989 from the University of Queensland, and then completed his specialist training in veterinary dentistry with Dr. Bob Wiggs in Dallas, Texas through the American Veterinary Dental College. David is the only qualified veterinary dental specialist in Australia and is passionate about all things dental, especially endodontics and orthodontics. In November, 2018, David became the first international (non-American) person to become the President of the American Veterinary Dental College, a massive achievement for veterinary dentists outside of the USA.
Dental disease is common in the general pet population and often goes undetected until there is a major problem, which may be picked up at an annual vaccination or health check, or by the owner if there are obvious clinical signs. There has been an interest in dentistry since the inception of the Dental Society's over 30 years ago, but until recently, there has not been a major focus on dental education. Many Universities are now putting dentistry into their curriculum, many companies are producing excellent client friendly products to combat dental disease, and individuals are providing webinars, courses and wet labs for practitioners to upgrade or enhance their dental skills. In order to provide the general public and the pet population the dental service they need, the veterinarian, technician/nurse needs to be aware that dentistry can be a large part of their day-to-day practice and there are excellent learning opportunities available.
Canine skeletal malocclusions or jaw length discrepancies. The normal bite for the dog is called a scissor bite. This is defined by equal jaw lengths of the maxilla and mandible and appropriate positioning of the teeth, which includes the mandibular canine tooth being positioned between the maxillary 3rd incisor and canine within a diastema.
Persistent deciduous teeth in puppies lead to incorrect eruption of the permanent teeth, often seen as a closed diastema and lingually displaced mandibular canine teeth. This results in trauma to the hard palate and surrounding teeth.
Continuous education is important - listening to webinars, attending practical wetlabs or dental focused conferences, purchasing the appropriate and correct instruments to do the procedure and taking dental radiographs on each case.
We've put together the top 10 dental resources from the VetCheck library to help you educate your customers on treatment options, home care, prognoses and more.
8.What is involved in a dental prophylaxis