Prosthodontics

Prosthodontics in veterinary medicine is essentially the field of metal crown placement. Not all patients who have root canal therapy or suffer a fracture or wear of the teeth require a metal crown. Those that are notoriously “tough” chewers where behavioral modification is unlikely to help or working dogs such as Police dogs, may benefit from a full jacket metal crown. Such procedures are done in two anesthetic phases; first to prepare the tooth for the crown and take impressions then to cement the metal crown in place.

Impressions are sent to an outside lab for manufacturing. The cements used to seat the crown are quite strong, therefore we expect the crown to last the lifetime of the dog! Metal crowns attract plaque and develop calculus just as other teeth, therefore teeth with metal crowns should be brushed regularly.