Radiosurgical units are readily available, cost-effective and are providing, at this time, in both human and veterinary dentistry valuable soft tissue service in periodontics, exodontics and prosthodontics. Gingivoplasty, surgical flap creation and crown lengthening are just three common procedures available to the veterinary generalist or dentist through radiosurgery technology. Incisional and excisional biopsy of oral tissues can also be easily performed with radiosurgical equipment with special inserts. All of this can be performed safely and at a fraction of the cost of present laser equipment. Make sure that the electrosurgery equipment that you have in your hospital has been manufactured to work in the oral cavity near dental and bony tissues.
Patient safety is paramount.
Never proceed with any oral procedures if there are negative limitations that may be present in an older unit that you have in your hospital. This would include wet labs and in-service observations of those trained in the use of the technologies of the new millennium. Dr. DeForge, fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry, is a private practitioner with an on-site referral dental center at the Milford Veterinary Hospital in Milford, Ct. He also operates the Mobile Dental Referral Service for consultation, diagnosis and treatment of dental cases at practitioners' hospitals in Connecticut. This article was originally published in the March 2000 issue of DVM Newsmagazine.