Enamel Hypoplasia

[morgansc]

I have a one-year-old Basenji neutered male, who, I think, had a rough start.

We got him at six months and discovered shortly afterwards that his teeth enamel is only partially there. He has funny little tips of enamel but the majority of his teeth are bone. From the reading I have done, it sounds as though this is either genetic, which I doubt as we have his sister, or, he had a very high fever when he was young.

I am cleaning his teeth regularly with DentaTreat? and a soft brush, but am wondering about some sort of strengthener or a sealant I might apply or have applied by a Vet.

I live in Costa Rica and the one canine dentist here does not do this type of work; I would have to find a kindly (human) dentist who would be willing to a) work with dogs, and b) work with me on the appropriate anesthesia for a Basenji. So, I think any product would have to be a home application kind of deal.

I saw something called ProVSeal online but don't know much about it. Anyone else? Any information from you would be appreciated.

[tanza]

While I do not know of anything that would be over the counter, I do know that this condition is also known as Canine Distemper Teeth

[Duke]

A sealant would be temporary to prevent decay. It will wear off. My son has 2 molars with no enamel. Those teeth have been coated, but he suffers pain anyway. He's very sensitive to hot and cold and avoids chewing with them. When he gets older, dentist said they will be able do a root canal and cap them. We don't know what caused the condition, but that it occurs and in some cases on many more teeth. However, even with the coating, he has had a couple cavities. So it's not a permanent fix. I'm sorry your boy has this problem. I can't believe the vet won't put on the sealant for you. It's a service!

[morgansc]

Thanks for the responses.

Pat- I'm pretty sure little Chacho had a "something bad" when he was very young. It might have distemper, but I'll never know. He is a sweetie, though, and we'll do what we can for him. The DentaTreat is a wonderful product, but he needs more than that.

Jill- Sorry for your son's misery. I know the sealant will wear away, but it seems like it might be the best bet for us. That, or a complete set of crowns. YIKES! That's got to be expensive… and there is no dentist in CR who does them. I'll keep researching it and let you know what we end up doing.

Thanks again

Sarah