Changes

===Postoperative care===

===Postoperative care===

*Hillyer (1994) points out that after extraction the socket of a tooth should be cultured and appropriate antibiosis carried out.  

Hillyer (1994) points out that after extraction the socket of a tooth should be cultured and appropriate antibiosis carried out.  

*Packing the socket with calcium hydroxide fills the dead space and has antiseptic properties – do not use calcium hydroxide powder or a paste made from the powder – the polymerised product (Life®; Kerr) is superior and doesn’t seem to cause thermal necrosis.   

 

*Suturing or gluing an empty socket is advised if several teeth have been extracted (prevents impaction with foodstuffs) but is not possible if only one tooth has been removed.

Packing the socket with calcium hydroxide fills the dead space and has antiseptic properties – do not use calcium hydroxide powder or a paste made from the powder – the polymerised product (Life®; Kerr) is superior and doesn’t seem to cause thermal necrosis.   

*The animal is given prophylactic antibiotics: for rabbits, penicillin (procaine penicillin 24mgm/kgIM or SC q7days or oxytetracycline (30 mg/kg SC q 72hrs). Often bone infections in the rabbit necessitate the use of antibiotics parenterally for life.  

 

*One must then address the matter of diet and impress on the owner that hard chewable food must be provided.  A bolus of hard food held between diverging maloccluded teeth will not provide as much wear as normal, but it provides at least some wear and should be encouraged.

Suturing or gluing an empty socket is advised if several teeth have been extracted (prevents impaction with foodstuffs) but is not possible if only one tooth has been removed.

*Following extraction of one or more cheek teeth a careful watch must be maintained on the remaining (opposing) teeth in case coronal reduction is required. As rabbits have unequal numbers of teeth in upper and lower arcades there is no likelihood of the crown of a tooth growing into an opposing socket but coronal reduction may be required to allow proper masticatory excursion.

 

The animal is given prophylactic antibiotics: for rabbits, penicillin (procaine penicillin IM or SC q7days or oxytetracycline (SC q 72hrs). Often bone infections in the rabbit necessitate the use of antibiotics parenterally for life.  

 

One must then address the matter of diet and impress on the owner that hard chewable food must be provided.  A bolus of hard food held between diverging maloccluded teeth will not provide as much wear as normal, but it provides at least some wear and should be encouraged.

 

Following extraction of one or more cheek teeth a careful watch must be maintained on the remaining (opposing) teeth in case coronal reduction is required. As rabbits have unequal numbers of teeth in upper and lower arcades there is no likelihood of the crown of a tooth growing into an opposing socket but coronal reduction may be required to allow proper masticatory excursion.

                

                

[[Category:Dental_Disorders_-_Rabbit]]

[[Category:Dental_Disorders_-_Rabbit]]