Before any imaging or surgery are performed, Dr. Pegg will perform a consultation. At this consultation a thorough oral exam and physical exam will be performed and Dr. Pegg will discuss treatment options and recommendations. We are happy to be able to offer several different treatments for many common problems and are focused on working with you and your pet to develop a plan that best suits the needs of the whole family.

Endodontic treatment is treatment of diseases of the pulp of the tooth. The core of every tooth is filled with soft jelly-like material called dental pulp. The pulp is part of the living part of the tooth and contains blood vessels, and nerve fibres. Traumatic damage to teeth can cause the pulp to be exposed, which is very painful. Any time the pulp is exposed it usually results in pulp necrosis, and the centre of the tooth becomes a highway for bacterial infection to reach into the bone of the jaw. 

Endodontic treatment

We offer beneficial tooth preserving treatment for damaged teeth such as root canal treatment with or without crown placement. This is a much less painful and less invasive option compared to extraction, especially for very large and strategic teeth like canines and carnassials that have been fractured.

• Standard root canal treatment
• Surgical root canal treatment, or retreatment
• Vital pulp therapy

Many non-dental conditions of the oral cavity are challenging to diagnose. Unusual lesions, or conditions not responding to conventional therapy as expected may indicate a more detailed investigation or an alternate treatment is required.

Oral medicine

Oral medicine is related to advanced diagnostics and management of unusual conditions manifesting in the oral cavity.

Oral Medicine procedures performed and cases managed

• Oral biopsy and advanced imaging (CT scan with contrast enhancement)
• Lymph node aspirate
• Masticatory Muscle Myositis
• Non-responsive Feline Chronic Gingivostomatitis

Contact Mucositis (AKA CUPS, AKA CCUS)

Major and minor oral surgical procedures are performed on tissues other than the teeth. Oral surgeons are comfortable working in the mouth and dealing with unique considerations to this part of the body. Our approach to major oral surgery procedures takes into account functional and cosmetic consequences of major surgery. Our aim is to provide our patients with a comfortable, aesthetic outcome by managing both the main concern but also any complications of major surgery such as mandibular drift, or trauma from teeth in another part of the jaw.

Oral Surgical treatment

These procedures can range from repair of palatal defects in puppies to oral tumour removals to repair of fractured bones of the mouth and face. The field of oral surgery is very broad and encompasses all soft and hard tissues of the mouth and adjoining regions.

• Palate defect repair (congenital or acquired)
• Oronasal fistula closure
• Maxillofacial trauma repair including fracture repair with bone plates, interfragmentary wiring and interdental wiring and intraoral acrylic splint application
• Oral tumour removal including maxillectomy and mandibulectomy

Reconstructive surgery following tumour removal

Up to 1 in 4 puppies has a malocclusion or misalignment of the teeth or jaws that can be traumatic or painful. Orthodontic treatment in animals is aimed at correcting painful or traumatic malocclusions. Achieving a perfect smile is not our goal, but every animal deserves to be able to close their mouth without being in pain.

Orthodontic treatment

Functional orthodontic treatment can prevent or correct painful, traumatic mis-alignments of teeth in puppies, kittens and young dogs or cats. There are also many options for helping adult animals if their malocclusion was not managed as they grew.

• Deciduous tooth extraction
• Mandibular Canine temporary crown extensions to help guide eruption
• Direct acrylic incline plane placement to help correct mandibular canine malocclusion
• Active orthodontic devices
• Crown reduction and vital pulp therapy

Periodontal treatment is focused on returning to health the tissues that attach the teeth to the body – the gingiva (gum tissue), the cementum (outer covering of the tooth root), The alveolar bone (part of the jaw bone that supports the teeth) and the periodontal ligament (tissue attaching teeth to the bone). Genetic predisposition and other patient and bacterial factors cause breakdown of the attachment between the tooth and the bone. Periodontal therapy is aimed at halting that breakdown, removing teeth with severe attachment loss and in some cases helping to regenerate attachment. 

Periodontal treatment

Periodontal treatment, dental extraction and maintenance therapy will remain a staple of our practice. It is often the least costly option and, in some cases, the only appropriate treatment. We are excited, however able to be able to offer periodontal regenerative therapy to help teeth reattach in select cases.

• Scaling and root planning to remove hard dental deposits
• Dental extraction for teeth with major attachment loss
• Complicated dental extractions
• Full mouth dental extractions
• Guided tissue regeneration to help teeth with focal periodontitis
• Gingival flap procedures
• Crown lengthening
• Oral preparation for radiation treatment of the head and neck (Hygiene and dental extractions if required)

Prosthodontic treatment refers to replacement of lost structures, in the case of dentistry we are most often referring to a metal crown. A crown is a custom-made metal cap which is permanently affixed to a tooth to help restore it’s original shape and profile and protect it from further damage. A small amount of tooth material is removed, and impressions are sent to a dental laboratory for crown fabrication. Crowns are recommended most commonly when fracture of a major tooth has occurred.

Prosthodontic treatment

Any time a tooth is damaged to the point of fracture it will lose some structure. In some cases this loss of structure will predispose that tooth to further fracture. In humans, teeth receiving a root canal treatment are lost at a much higher rate when they do not receive a crown to help provide long term protection.

• Crown preparation and detailed dental impression
• Custom dental laboratory fabrication (outside laboratory)
• Crown placement