Ruby and her troublesome teeth
Little Ruby, the 10 year old Jack Russell Terrier presented to us recently with a very swollen face that had come up in less than a day. The owners were unsure what was causing her this distress, and she now couldn’t eat or drink either. Upon examination of her mouth, Dr. Jo
n discovered that she had severe dental disease with gingival ulceration, and was very suspicious of a tooth root abscess which would be the culprit of the swelling.
A tooth root abscess is caused when a tooth sits diseased (and is often cracked) inside an animal’s mouth for so long that bacteria enters the exposed root canal of the tooth. Dental disease that is left untreated for long enough, can cause irreversible damage to internal organs and life threatening disease, as well as contributing to an animal’s inability to eat and drink.
Ruby was urgently booked in for a dental the next day where nineteen teeth had to be removed, as well as the source of the abscess being drained, flushed and treated with antibiotics. After a few days of recovery from her intensive dental, Ruby was feeling absolutely relieved, with all the swelling in her face gone and only healthy teeth left inside her mouth. She is now back to eating well and enjoying her fresh pearly whites that are no longer causing her any pain!
