Bow ow! Crown fixes dog's tooth

A veterinarian enlists the help of his dentist to provide the procedure for the animal.

By EDIE GROSS

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 24, 1999

PALM HARBOR -- Pandy Mariello was Dr. Ken Cohen's most relaxed patient Tuesday.

It's amazing what a Valium cocktail will do for a pooch.

While the 9-year-old schnauzer snoozed on an examination table at Coastal Veterinary Clinic, Cohen cemented a crown onto one of Pandy's teeth.

"I wish we could do that (serve the cocktail) to humans," joked Cohen, a dentist who usually handles patients of the two-legged variety at his nearby dental clinic.

Pandy's longtime veterinarian, Dr. Tom Callahan, has trusted his own teeth to Cohen for 12 to 14 years.

When Pandy's upper third premolar cracked, Callahan had two choices: Remove the large back tooth or save it by capping it with a nickel and chromium crown. He chose to save the tooth, and he called on his own dentist to help him do it.

"I do some veterinary dentistry, but I don't do crowns," Callahan said.

Cohen said he once installed a filling in a cat's tooth, and he removed a tooth from another cat. But this was his first canine client.

"It's something fun," Cohen said. "You're helping out the dog. It's just a side thing that makes me feel good about what I do."

Dental work for animals is an emerging part of the veterinary field, said Dr. Ashley Oakes, a dental specialist at Tampa Bay Veterinary Specialists in Largo. She is one of three veterinarians in the state certified by the American Veterinary Dental College.

In addition to cleanings, veterinarians are providing fillings, crowns, extractions and even root canals to animals with bad teeth, Oakes said.

Procedures for animals cost about the same as for humans. Some companies have even started providing health insurance for pets.

Oakes recommends that pet owners brush their animals' teeth at least three times a week with a pet toothpaste and either an animal toothbrush or a soft-bristle child's toothbrush. She also suggests that pets get their teeth cleaned by a veterinarian once a year.

"They build up plaque on teeth just like we do," Oakes said. "If you're not brushing over three or four years, that can cause problems."

Callahan said he is not sure what caused Pandy's tooth to crack. Another tooth may have sheared part of it off, he said.

A veterinary dentist in Pembroke Pines made a mold of Pandy's tooth, and a California company used that to create the crown. It took about 10 minutes for Cohen to cement the crown into Pandy's mouth.

As long as she stays away from caramel and bubble gum, it should stay on fine, Cohen said.

Pandy's owner, Janet Mariello of Palm Harbor, said she took some ribbing from her neighbors about the procedure.

"All my neighbors are laughing at me. "You got your dog's tooth capped?' " she said. "Why not? She's my baby."

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