First Impressions

How dentistry can transform the care provided in general veterinary practices.

The push toward quality dentistry is much more apparent in today’s marketplace, said Brett Beckman, DVM, FAVD, DAVDC, DAAPM and founder of the International Veterinary Dentistry Institute. There is an expectation that general practices have the ability to perform dental radiography, periodontal procedures and surgical extractions based on AAHA and AVMA guidelines. More practices are investing in new technology that provides diagnostic advantages over traditional X-rays. For some specialty providers that includes cone beam CT. General practitioners may not want to purchase a piece of equipment that expensive, but digital radiography has become the standard of care in recent years.

“We also have better analgesics,” said Dr. Beckman. “We have better nerve blocks that have extended duration versus what we have had in the past. We’ve got a better understanding of oral pain. We have a better understanding about anesthesia and dentistry. So those things have changed for the positive, but they’re very incremental.”

Still, some pieces are missing. Education and training should be expanded at academic universities, and more needs to be done to educate pet owners on the importance of year-round oral care for their pets, according to experts who spoke to Vet-Advantage. In the following stories, several leading practitioners shared their insights on the steps general practitioners can take to onboard or enhance dentistry in their practice.

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