Episode 178 - Root Fractures & Lucencies: Extraction vs. Treatment in Veterinary Dentistry

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Host:
Dr. Brett Beckman, DVM, FAVD, DAVDC, DAAPM
Board-Certified Veterinary Dentist

Welcome Back to The Vet Dental Show! Every Wednesday, we bring you powerful, practical tips to enhance your veterinary dentistry skills—whether you're a veterinarian, technician, or part of a dedicated dental team.

On This Episode, Dr. Beckman answers a series of critical viewer questions on root fractures, periapical lucencies, burr selection, and vital pulp therapy. You’ll gain diagnostic confidence and learn treatment approaches straight from real-world cases and workshop examples.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ When root fractures do not require extraction
✅ How to differentiate lucencies from the normal Chevron sign
✅ Radiographic and clinical signs indicating extraction necessity
✅ Options between extraction and root canal therapy
✅ The must-have burrs for general veterinary dental procedures
✅ When vital pulp therapy is viable—and when it’s not
✅ How to perform crown reduction and biological pulp capping

Key Veterinary Dentistry Takeaways:
✅ Root segments under bone with no periodontal disease may not require extraction.
✅ Radiographic lucencies + crown mobility = extraction needed.
✅ A periapical lucency with no treatment plan = extract if root canal isn’t chosen.
✅ Use 701L and 669 crosscut burrs for most canine and feline extractions.
✅ Vital pulp therapy is only successful if performed within 24–48 hours of fracture.
✅ MTA and glass ionomer restorations are key for pulp protection.
✅ Radiographic follow-ups are essential to verify long-term healing.

If you’re passionate about veterinary dentistry and ready to become a top-tier practitioner, request an invite to the Veterinary Dental Practitioner Program at ivdi.org/inv. Don’t miss out on the most comprehensive training available!

Questions or insights? Drop them in the comments!

Keyword Tags:
veterinary root fracture treatment, periapical lucency vet radiographs, vet dental burr selection, vital pulp therapy dogs cats, veterinary tooth extraction techniques, veterinary endodontics options, MTA in veterinary dentistry, Dr. Brett Beckman, veterinary dental practitioner program, dental radiograph interpretation vet