Higher Standards

Safe, effective, trusted surgical care

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

When seeking dental care for your pet–from extraction to jaw tumor surgery–you can be confident your pet is in the best of hands with Dr. Fulton. Our practice prides itself on gentle but swift techniques that allow us to accomplish extensive work in short periods of time. This translates to shorter procedures, a shorter time under anesthesia and hopefully a quick and painless recovery!

Some of the surgical procedures that we offer include:

  • Extractions
    • both simple single-rooted teeth, as well as complicated extraction of multi-rooted teeth and retained roots
  • Oronasal fistula repair
  • Gingivectomy or gingivoplasty for gingival hyperplasia
  • Treatment of traumatic injuries, including jaw fractures
  • Biopsy of small and large lesions
  • Removal of cancerous and benign lesions
    • Includes both marginal removal as well as full-margin jaw surgery, such as a mandibulectomy or maxillectomy

Initial Consultation

At our initial consultation appointment, we will go over our expectations for what we will accomplish during your pet’s procedure. In many cases, the final recommendations will be made after we have performed imaging and an oral examination under anesthesia. This step helps us determine what is going on with the roots, bone, and soft tissues under the gumline so that we will have a complete picture of what treatment will be needed. Full anesthesia is needed for your pet when we need to work on tough-to-reach spaces.

When it comes to considering extractions, many pet owners are understandably concerned about their pet losing teeth. Dr. Fulton is committed to helping you find the best treatment option for your pet, whether that means performing advanced procedures to try to save a tooth or removing it. If we recommend extracting a tooth or teeth, it is because we believe the procedure is necessary for your pet’s health and comfort.

Extracting smaller teeth may not result in any changes in your pet’s ability to eat, chew, groom, or play. Even the larger and more functional teeth are only rarely missed in our patients, so if the teeth are causing pain or will in the future, removing them is the best choice in many situations.

Each time we extract a tooth we take several steps to make the recovery as smooth as possible:
  • We numb the area that is being worked on so the pet can’t feel what we are doing both during the procedure and for 12-24 hours after the surgery.
  • We will carefully close every extraction site using dissolvable stitches that fall out on their own.
  • We provide detailed instructions on postoperative care, including anti-inflammatory pain medications that help with pain and swelling.
  • We schedule recheck appointments at discharge to ensure that healing remains on track.
 Extractions

Trauma Patients Dr. Fulton’s expertise in dealing with oral surgery extends to more difficult and complicated situations, such as injuries or tumors. If your pet has sustained injuries, for instance, broken bones, broken teeth, or soft-tissue trauma, we will work with you to treat your pet as quickly as possible so that healing can begin promptly. If your pet has been diagnosed with an oral mass, we will work with you to diagnose and treat your pet in a timely fashion to give them the best possible prognosis. For trauma patients, we often will advise you to seek emergency evaluation prior to being transferred to our care. That way, any important life-threatening injuries can be addressed and stabilized. When patients are transferred to our care, we will assess the injuries and come up with and implement a treatment plan. Treatments include:
  • Jaw wiring
  • Composite splints
  • Jaw plating
  • Laceration repair
  • Maxillomandibular fixation
 Oral Surgery

For tumor patients, once we have diagnosed what type of tumor we are dealing with, we can have a frank discussion about treatment options and outcomes. Our primary goal is to keep your pet comfortable as long as we can. Our secondary goal is to keep them tumor free as long as possible. Often, the best way to achieve both goals is to remove the entire mass, via maxillectomy or mandibulectomy. Sometimes we can use minimally invasive methods to achieve the same outcome. We will work with you to find the option that best suits your pet and your personal goals, as well as provide referrals for follow-up therapy if needed. Tumors