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LOCAL dog Toby is sporting a new smile after veterinarian Chris Spurgeon, from Narooma Vet Hospital, fashioned him some braces to move an incorrectly positioned tooth.
Toby was rescued by dog lovers and Animal Welfare League supporters Gabe and Brigitte Eichler, but was found to have a lower fang tooth growing up into the roof of his mouth.
“Without treatment the tooth would have actually punctured through into Toby’s nose,” Chris said.
“Removing such an important tooth will cause a lifetime of dental and eating problems so the best option is to move the tooth using similar techniques to human orthodontics.”
Using materials kindly supplied by Charmaine White from Narooma Dental Surgery, Chris was able to fix an orthodontic device to the roof of Toby’s mouth.
After four weeks, the tooth had moved to the correct position and the device was removed.
Canine orthodontics is rarely performed in Australia and this is believed to be the first instance of a successful outcome in this area.
“It was great to be able to use my skills in veterinary dentistry to save Toby from a lifetime of dental trouble,” Chris said.