contouring provides patient comfort. RESPECT EQUIPMENT: A rongeur is not an extraction forceps, nor is it a pair of pliers; it is designed to make a simple straight cut!
Source: Edward R. Eisner.
Figure 3.23 Vetroson V10® Electro‐surgery Unit (Summit Hill Laboratory. Tinton Falls, NJ, U.S.A.), is used for good hemostasis as well as for cutting soft tissue.
Source: Edward R. Eisner.
Figure 3.24 A portable electrical evacuation system is handy, and saves using many gauze sponges when providing visualization of the surgical field.
Source: Edward R. Eisner.
4 Dental Form and Function as it Relates to Dental Therapy of Wild Animals
NOTE: Step‐by‐step therapeutic examples follow this section. Below is an outline indicating effective dental treatment modalities for various tooth types.
Elodont: Teeth that are continuously growing and have open apices. If vital, elodont teeth are better treated with pulpotomy. If necrotic, then root canal therapy or extraction is indicated.
1 Animals with only anterior elodont teeth (most rodents, e.g. rats, mice, squirrels; elephant tusks; hog tusks; hippo canines and incisors; upper incisors of hyrax).
2 Animals with both anterior and posterior elodont teeth. (Examples include Lagomorphs and some rodents [guinea pigs and chinchilla]; wombats are the sole marsupials).
3 Animals with only posterior elodont teeth (e.g. edentates [anteaters, armadillo, pangolins and sloths], and the primitive ungulate [aardvark]).
Tusks are elodont teeth:
Proboscidea: African and Asian elephant tusks are maxillary lateral incisors (2I2).
Artiodactyla: Tusks of hogs, and pigs, including babirusa are the maxillary and mandibular canines.
Figure 4.1 Warthog – Elodont male mandibular canine teeth only. Posterior teeth are brachydont, bunodont, and bilophodont.
Source: Peter Emily collection.
Figure 4.2 Female Red River Hog. Only the male has lower tusks and they are canine teeth.
Source: Peter Emily collection.
Artiodactyla: Canines and incisors of hippopotamus
Figure 4.3 Hippopotamus – Heterodont, elodont incisors, and canines, bunodont molars.
Source: Peter Emily collection.
Figure 4.4 Walrus – Maxillary canines are tusks. Elodont maxillary canines, Bunodont, slightly domed occlusal teeth.
Source: Peter Emily collection.
Elodont maxillary incisors: Hyrax (Atlantogenata)
(Little brother elephant – reference Maasai warriors).
Elodont canines:
Artiodactyla, Suidae: Hogs and pigs, babirusa
Rostral elodont teeth (canines and incisors):
Artiodactyla: Hippopotamus, peccary
Rodentia: Dormice, old and new world rats and mice, kangaroo rats, squirrels, beavers, and capybara generally have elodont anterior teeth, brachydont and loxidont posterior teeth.
Figure 4.5 Beaver Rodentia Castoridae Castor (2 species). Elodont incisors, brachydont, and loxidont caudal teeth.
Source: Edward R. Eisner.
Elodont maxillary canines and incisors: Perissodactyla
Rhinoceros has elodont maxillary canines and incisors.
Elodont posterior teeth:
Aardvark [1] – Tubulidenata (primitive ungulate)
Elodont all dentition:
Rodentia: Degu (South American rat), guinea pig, paca, chinchilla (see Figures 4.6 and 4.7).
Lagomorpha (see Figures 4.8–4.11).
Figures 4.6 and 4.7 Guinea pig: The mandibular canines extend to the last molar. Heterodont, elodont (all dentition), dilamdodont occlusal surfaces of posterior teeth.
Source: Edward R. Eisner.
