First Hand Learner

Jan 19,2011
Vocab:
M1 :the last molar on the cat, it is after the fourth molar
Jugum: the ridge of the tooth that makes gums protrude slightly
Suture: stiching
Suture Needle: similar to a fishing hook, used to suture

I thought nothing could top getting the chance to watch a root canal on a lama (that is what I did yesterday), which is why I did not have high expectations for what was in store for me today. Unfortunatly today Dr. Manfra and her students were done with all of their patient work for the day. After she had told me this I assumed that either I would be given boring busy work or have to leave which was a little disappointing (F). However, Dr. Manfra told the students and I that we could work on tooth extractions using the feline cadavers. To my amazement we all got our own cadavers and set of tools with which I was unfamiliar with (F).

Luckily Dr. Manfra's resident began to explain to me what each was used for and what the best way to extract the cat's first premolar, which is also the smallest tooth in a cat. Once I started to work on using the lever to loosen the tooth's supporting ligament. This part is not as easy as it seems, it is incredibly difficult to break the ligament while at the same time makin sure you do not apply too much pressure and break the crown of the tooth (A). After I was able to loosen the tooth then I used the dental pliers to remove the entire tooth . To remove the canine I had to take a different approach make a cut on the gum in front of and to the side of the canine (leaving a flap) so I could get to the Maxilla (bone). I then used the dental drill to cut the bone and expose most of the tooth on one side, and then followed the same procedure as I used with the molar. I did all of that three more times when I removed the third and fourth molars. A big problem I ran into was the fourth molar had two roots so I had to cut it in two parts in order to extract it (D). As soon as I was done with the tooth extraction I had to make sure to smooth out any sharp bone edges using the dental drill. Not only was I able to learn how to use the tools and extract the different teeth but I also was taught to suture the insitions.

I will be honest that the first tooth extraction I did did not turn out as well as I had hoped, I had not twisted and pulled the tooth while I had it gripped with the pliers which broke the small piece of bone left that seperated the sinus canal and the mouth. Although I was able to grab the cat however I wanted it was still difficult to break the ligament surrounding the tooth. In a real cat it is very essential to pay attention to how you grab the cat to make sure not to push on the eye or push on the throat. In addition to that the real cat will have tubes coming out of its mouth that take up even more of the limited room given to use the lever, which is why I admire all of the veterinarians who made it seem a lot simpler than it is. By being able to do tooth extractions, and suture first hand I understand how difficult all of these procedures really are, and how easily you can hurt the animal (A). Once I was done I was talking to the resident and she was telling me that since they would most likely not have many patients in the afternoons I could continue to practice the tooth extractions and even be tought to X-ray, needless to say I am very enthusiastic about the rest of this week (F).