1250 156th Avenue NE, Norman, OK 73026
Phone: (405) 360-8990 Fax: (405) 292-0153
Open Hours:
Monday - Thursday 9AM - 6PM
Friday 9AM-2PM
Pickup Only 5PM - 6PM
Saturday 9AM - 12PM
Closed Sunday
DENTALS
Dentals are important to the health and life of your pet. A yearly exam should be performed each year to help determine if your pet is at risk for dental issues. Thunderbird is proud to offer dental radiography to better serve your pet's needs.
Now Offering Dental X-Rays
We are excited to announce that Thunderbird Veterinary Hospital is now performing digital dental radiography!
Dental radiographs (X-Rays) are an important part of keeping our pets’ teeth healthy and treating common causes of dental disease in dogs and cats. Around three quarters of adult dogs and cats have some form of dental disease and more than half of the tooth lives below the gumline. Dental radiographs are one of the only ways we can evaluate parts of the mouth that aren't visible to the naked eye. Below are some images from actual patients we have seen since we started taking dental radiographs.
Case 1: “Lenny”, a four year-old schnauzer presented for his first dental cleaning. Survey (whole-mouth) radiographs were taken as a baseline for Lenny’s oral care. Luckily, no abnormalities were found! This is a normal radiograph of the upper left premolar teeth:
Case 2: “Fluffy” is a rescued 11 year-old pomeranian with unknown dental care history. He came to us with horrible breath, a swollen face/muzzle, and a very picky appetite. Once we looked at his dental radiographs, it was no surprise what Fluffy’s problem was: severe dental infection. When compared to a normal radiograph like Lenny’s you can see the irregular bone loss around the tooth roots, and the way the tooth roots look mottled and diseased. This is Fluffy’s upper left premolars:
Case 3: “Stewy” is a 7 year-old cat presenting for a routine dental cleaning. Because cats are different from dogs, it’s important to take full-mouth dental radiographs with every cleaning, once a year, not just when you suspect a problem or have a change in the oral exam. Luckily for Stewy, his radiographs looked great! This is a normal radiograph of his lower premolar and molar teeth:
Case 4: Stewie’s housemate, “Lola” was a different story. She is a 5 year-old cat, who was suspected to have dental disease based on a (very brief) awake oral exam. Once we saw her radiographs, it was no wonder she didn’t want us looking in her mouth when she was awake! There were multiple teeth with resorptive lesions (feline cavities) and retained roots that were not visible above the gumline during her exam. Below is a radiograph of her lower premolar and molar teeth where you can see a resorptive lesion and retained roots:
If you have questions about your pet’s teeth or think your pet may have dental disease, call Thunderbird today to make an appointment for a dental exam!