Invisible Braces... for Dogs?

The idea of orthodontic correction for cats and dogs frequently elicits giggles and eye rolls, because pet owners often assume pet braces are for purely cosmetic purposes and reserved for show animals. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the American Kennel Club doesn’t permit dogs that have had their inherited anatomy altered to be shown in its conformation classes.

The goal of orthodontic treatment in pets is to provide a healthy and functional bite—something to which every pet is entitled. The problems associated with an abnormal bite in pets include trauma to the teeth and gums, inability to close the mouth, and difficulty eating. Some of these conditions may become even more serious, resulting in tooth fracture or ulcers on the gums or roof of the mouth.

Braces can help realign a cat or dog’s bite and prevent these problems. The latest in veterinary orthodontics is invisible braces for dogs. (Invisible braces haven’t been used in cats yet.) Here’s all the information you need to know to sink your teeth into this new healthy option for dogs.

How Orthodontics Help
The normal bite in dogs is known as the scissor bite. Any deviation from the scissor bite is called a malocclusion. (However, people have bred for an occlusion other than a scissor bite in about half of today’s domestic dog breeds, such as the English bulldog.) One way to classify malocclusions: traumatic or nontraumatic. If the malocclusion causes problems for the dog, it’s classified as traumatic and needs to be fixed with orthodontics. Fortunately, most dogs don’t mind wearing properly installed and managed orthodontic appliances.

As in humans, orthodontic movement is achieved by creating a controlled force—either constant or intermittent—on the teeth. In time, this force moves the teeth through the jawbone into the desired location. The course of orthodontic treatments in animals is generally one to four months, which is much shorter than the treatment time for people wearing braces.

Many problems can arise during the course of orthodontic treatment. These often result from technical errors, such as too much or improper direction of force applied to the teeth. Other problems can arise as a result of management errors, such as failure to keep the orthodontic appliance in the dog’s mouth.

Why Invisible Braces?
In recent years, transparent, removable aligners—invisible braces—have been developed for use in people and now dogs. These invisible braces generate the same results as traditional braces, but the techniques used to create and manage them are quite different.

For dogs, the primary advantage of invisible braces is that they require only one anesthetic appointment, during which the veterinary dentist takes the initial impressions. What’s more, since the aligners can be removed, they do not create a hindrance to proper oral hygiene.

The orthodontic condition that seems most responsive to invisible braces is called base narrow canines or linguoversion. In this malocclusion, the lower canine teeth point inward toward the roof of the mouth, also called the palate. This abnormality causes painful trauma to the dog’s palate, and it may lead to an ulceration of the palate that can penetrate into the nose.

How They Work
Invisible braces must conform closely to a dog’s teeth to keep the aligner in place and stabilize the teeth during correction. The aligners usually are constructed in a sequential series, with each aligner designed to be slightly different from the last in order to move the teeth in small increments. Aligners are typically replaced every one to two weeks, and replacements are available if an aligner becomes lost or destroyed.

Creating the aligners requires accurate molds of the teeth that can be reused. These molds—or impressions—are sent to a laboratory where the aligners are constructed. They consist of a clear acrylic base to which metal springs or plastic inclined planes can be added.

The dog should wear the aligner for as many hours a day as possible. It may be removed during meals and tooth brushing. It also should be removed during unsupervised activities when the pet may be chewing. Pet owners clean the aligners by rinsing them with warm water or brushing them with a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Final Thoughts
The critical steps in dealing effectively with orthodontic problems in dogs include properly diagnosing the problem, determining the most appropriate method to achieve the goal of a healthy and comfortable bite, counseling owners about breeding and future showing potential, and selecting the proper orthodontic treatment technique. An ideal treatment would restore healthy occlusion with minimal anesthetic appointments.

A Few Other Orthodontic Options For Dogs

• Extraction. Sometimes it’s best for teeth to be pulled rather than realigned. This is especially true when baby teeth are causing problems.
• Inclined planes. These are fixed acrylic or metal orthodontic devices that act as a ramp to direct teeth into a healthier position.
• Rubber ball therapy. A study has shown that when young dogs with displaced mandibular teeth hold an appropriately sized rubber ball in their mouths for at least 15 minutes three times a day, the malocclusion can be corrected.
• Gingival wedge. In mild cases of linguoversion of the mandibular teeth—when these teeth are displaced toward the tongue—a wedge of gum tissue can be removed from between the third incisor and the canine tooth.
• Camouflage orthodontics. Also called tooth extensions, these are used to treat linguoversion of the mandibular canines. In this procedure, the tooth is built up and the shape is changed using dental plastics, so the newly created crown tip aligns normally. Camouflage orthodontics also work well in mild cases of anterior crossbite in which the incisor teeth aren’t properly aligned.