When hair becomes embedded in the oral cavities of your veterinary patients , it can cause inflammation and the destruction of periodontal attachment . Know where to look for it , how to treat it and how to keep it from recurring .
DENTISTRY
The ABCs of veterinary dentistry
Article reprinted with the permission of DMV360 - Jan , 26 2017 DVM360 MAGAZINE is a copyrighted publication of Advanstar .
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“ H ” is for Hair Havoc
When hair becomes embedded in the oral cavities of your veterinary patients , it can cause inflammation and the destruction of periodontal attachment . Know where to look for it , how to treat it and how to keep it from recurring .
By Jan Bellows , DVM , DAVDC , DABVP , FAVD
Hair caught in oral cavity crevices in dogs and cats is not well-known and needs to be recognized , treated and prevented — hopefully before damage is done ( Figure 1 ).
Types of hair
There are two general hair classifications in dogs and cats : short and long .
Short-haired breeds have hair less than 5 cm long that lies close to the body . Most short-haired dogs have more stiff topcoat hair and less soft undercoat hair . Canine examples include the beagle , Irish terrier , greyhound , English toy terrier , boxer , English bulldog and German shorthaired pointer . Examples of short-haired cats include the American shorthair , Bengal cat and European shorthair .
Figure 1 . Two hairs embedded in the folds of the incisive papilla in a dog . ( All photos courtesy of Dr . Jan Bellows .)
Long-haired breeds have hair longer than 5 cm . Canine breed examples include the Pekinese , shih tzu , cocker spaniel , golden retriever and German shepherd . Longhaired cat breeds include the Maine coon , German angora and Norwegian forest cat .
Where does the aberrant hair show up ?
Hair doesn ’ t grow in the oral cavity . But much like grass awns , stiff , coarse short hairs of short-haired breeds can become embedded in the oral cavity when dogs and cats gnaw or lick their skin due to allergies , external parasites or obsessive-compulsive disorders , creating foreign body inflammatory reactions that can destroy the periodontal attachment , leading to tooth loss .
Figure 2 . Hair embedded in the gingival sulcus of the right and left maxillary first and second incisors .
Gingival sulcus : Most commonly , hair embeds in the gingival sulcus surrounding the maxillary and mandibular incisors and canines ( Figure 2 ).
Tongue : Some dogs lick their skin instead of gnawing or biting at it . This leads to hair becoming embedded in their tongues ( Figure 3 ).
Figure 3 . Hair embedded in a dog ' s tongue .
Issue 03 | JUNE 2017 | 34