26 Apr 2022
A six-month-old Labrador retriever born with a lingually displaced mandibular canine tooth has been fitted with a unique bite plane at Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies’ Hospital for Small Animals.
James Westgate
Job Title
As well as being born blind, Minnie was also born with a mild mandibular distoclusion, which means that her lower mandibles are shorter than normal.
A young dog’s canine tooth has successfully been realigned after being fitted with a unique bite plane.
Minnie, a six-month-old Labrador retriever, was born with a genetic condition known as lingually displaced mandibular canine teeth.
The condition caused one of Minnie’s bottom canine teeth to grow in the wrong direction, meaning the tooth dug into and damaged her upper gum, causing her a lot of pain.
Minnie’s vet referred her to the specialist dentistry and oral surgery service at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies’ Hospital for Small Animals, at The University of Edinburgh, where Ingrid Tundo, European Diplomate in Veterinary Dentistry, assessed her.
Lingually displaced mandibular canines often result in a dog’s bottom baby and/or adult canine teeth erupting in an incorrect position.
As well as being born blind, Minnie was also born with a mild mandibular distoclusion, which means that her lower mandibles are shorter than normal.
Collectively, these conditions resulted in one of Minnie’s lower adult canine teeth tipping forward and damaging the soft tissue of the gum between her upper canine tooth and third incisor.
Canine teeth provide important structure to a dog’s mouth. Keen to avoid invasive procedures to shorten or remove the misaligned bottom canine tooth, Dr Tundo fitted an inclined bite plane to Minnie’s upper jaws.
The orthodontic device was left in place for six weeks, during which the lingually displaced adult canine tooth was successfully tipped back into a normal position.
Dr Tundo said: “We were delighted to provide such a non-invasive treatment for Minnie and that the procedure was a success.
“As with most patients with lingually displaced canine teeth, Minnie presented at a young age, making the advantages of regaining normal function of this important permanent tooth, and avoiding its extraction, even more beneficial.”
Claire Harrison, a veterinary technician specialist in dentistry at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, added: “Our specialist dentistry service worked with the referring veterinary surgeons and suitable treatment options were discussed with Minnie’s owners to provide the best solution for their pet.
“Minnie was a fantastic patient and we are happy to have been able to help her.”
