Diagnosis and treatment of apical tooth root infections
Apical tooth root infections often present as swellings of the face or mandible, with or without draining tracts, or as nasal discharge as a result of secondary sinusitis in patients with caudal maxillary cheek teeth disease. A thorough oral examination is essential to allow the diagnosis of fractured teeth, periodontal disease, or signs of endodontic disease. Radiography of the dental arcades is useful, with synonymous periapical changes and signs of secondary sinusitis easily diagnosed in many cases. Advanced imaging such as scintigraphy and computed tomography have increased our diagnostics capabilities, especially in earlier stages of disease in which radiographic signs are minimal or absent. Treatment will commonly involve the extraction of affected teeth, but if caught early enough endodontic treatment may be preferential.
- •Oral signs of periapical disease
- •Diagnostic imaging of the equine teeth
- •Extraction of equine teeth
- •Endodontics, prevention and future treatment