Molar Burring no longer recommended?

Anita has just told me that she thinks Francis Harcourt-Brown no longer recommend the reshaping of molar teeth with a dental burr due to some of the horrific damage she has seen done by some vets including mis-shaping of the teeth, damage to the mouth tissue and tooth roots and probable abcesses resulting from poor dentistry.

Apparently many rabbits are ending up in a worse state AFTER a dental than before.

Anita has shown me the technique she uses and Im very impressed. I actually never realised she did not burr the teeth. It takes a tiny bit longer but there is NO risk of damage or accidental cuts to the teeth or mouth and is much gentler.

Apparently she discovered it by accident and then found many other vets are using this technique too.

I cant find any actually documents issued in respect to this but will let you know if I do.

Does anyone elses vet not use a dental burr for molar work?

I have heard some horror stories of damage done by * improper use* of a Dental burr. I think there are quite a few Vets who are now disagreeing with a lot of FHBs theories. I know the Dental specialist I saw for one of my Buns had no time for her at all (so I wont name him :lol but I have to say I tended to agree with him on some of the things he was at odds with FHB about.

As with all things Bunny Vets will differ on opinions and will go with what they learn from experts they trust. My concerns about molar treatment without GA are based on what the Dental expert I saw told me. Thats why I'd never allow one of my Buns molars to be treated without GA.

Christabel tends to use whatever technique is most suited to each individual case.

Janex

What technique does Anita use Sooz?

I think the problem with many vets is that they just don't book themselves on an appropriate course/spend some time with another experienced vet for training when it comes to rabbit dentistry, esp burring. The surgery I work at is part of a chain and most of the vets will just refer rabbit dentals to ours. The amount of locums that come through not knowing what burring even is is scary.

ive no idea what my vets use to burr the teeth but it seems to work lol

Interested to know what procedure your vet does Sooz, I have a bun who needs molars burring and it's really worrying me.

leanne said:

The amount of locums that come through not knowing what burring even is is scary.

Click to expand...

:shock:

Ooooo-Errrrr

Janex

leanne said:

What technique does Anita use Sooz?

I think the problem with many vets is that they just don't book themselves on an appropriate course/spend some time with another experienced vet for training when it comes to rabbit dentistry, esp burring. The surgery I work at is part of a chain and most of the vets will just refer rabbit dentals to ours. The amount of locums that come through not knowing what burring even is is scary.

Click to expand...

I dont know the medical words for this equiptment so apologies:

It basically involves using blunt 'crocodile clamp' forceps through a large otoscope head type attachment into the rabbits mouth which already has pouch expanders in place and then gently 'crumbling' the spurs off.

The forceps have no cutting edge so cannot actually do more damage than pinch flesh under pressure and the restictions of doing it through the diameter of the otoscope head mean you cannot open it to wide or exert excess pressure.

It takes a few attempts to remove each spur (she reckons 20-30 seconds) by crumbling it away.

She likens it to breaking off bread with your fingers instead of using a knife or in the case of teeth the sharp clipper things(cant remember the name, begins with J, I think).

She then runs her finger across the surface and rasps off any roughness.

I may not have explained it well but it seemed a really good technique to me and as I said she has now found many other vets use it too. She started because she does not like to use the sharp clipper thingies and looked for an alternative.


I also got an invite to a full tour of the operating theatre and demonstartions with the equiptment which I am looking forward too.

Im going to try and convince them to let me sit in on Inca's incisor removal.

I *think* my vet must do something similar. It's certainly using a non-electrical tool.

Still goes against what was said in that on-line article Jane found. That seemed to imply that it was necessary to go right back to the gum line.

I really don't know what to think about dentals any more. :?

Amy

What article was that?

Sorry, it was AlisonA, not Jane that posted it.

Anyways, here it is:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=108669

Amy

I posted on it as well.

Thank you Sooz

Is that the same technique used when it's done without an anaesthetic?

Tamsin said:

Is that the same technique used when it's done without an anaesthetic?

Click to expand...

They usually use the sharp implement whose name I cant remember or a burr (much to Anita's horror) on a conscious dental....the forceps are not designed for this use at all but they do the job well and with no risk.

It can be done conscious, infact Anita thinks she can teach me to do it with a very placid rabbit but she does not think a proper dental can be done without GA, especially if the crowns need reshaping or filing down.

Leanne do you know what the clippers are called, Junipers or something its driving me nuts.

That's very interesting to read about an alternative dental treatment method.

Our vet does use a burr if needed and she obviously knows how to handle it.

Jazmine, had to go in every 4 weeks for her molar spikes to be burred. The way the vet explained it to me was that she would burr the spikes down on the molars, then lower the tables on all the molars a tiny amount to try and prevent the spikes coming back so quickly. She would also take a small amount off Jazmine's front teeth to make sure all the teeth met correctly and Jazmine could eat happily - and that she did!

Jazmine would always be sedated for this operation and she'd usually start to eat normal food by the same evening.

The problem with Jazmine's teeth was that the spikes would grow sideways into her tongue and cause the poor bun ulcers if we didn't catch it early enough, bless her! We soon learned to spot the early warning signs!

Izzy's teeth aren't quite so bad, thankfully and his just need rasping down every 5-6 months.

I've never heard of the molars being lowered right down to the gum, our vet always told me she had to be careful not to lower the tables too much. I seem to think it was something to do with getting down into a certain part of the tooth?

Nic