Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery

Tooth resorptions occur when a portion of a tooth's crown or root deteriorates.  This deterioration can start deep within the tooth and work its way outwards. The process can also start from the outside of the tooth and work its way deeper into the tooth. Quite often, where one tooth resorption is found, there are others.

At various stages of this process, resorptive teeth can be extremely painful and become an area of localized infection.  Finding and treating such teeth starts with a detailed exam while a patient is under anesthesia and intraoral radiographs. 

The images below offer examples of how a normal tooth compares to how a resorptive tooth can appear.

 This is a radiograph of a                         This tooth has resorptive

 tooth without resorptive                          changes. Note how the

 changes.                                              tooth does not appear

                                                            uniform. This loss of tooth

                                                            structure is painful.

               This crown and gum are                      This image shows how a

               normal.                                              resorptive tooth can look.

                                                                        The crown is irregular and

                                                                        covered with inflamed

                                                                        (deep pink) tissue.