VDS Applies Human Fracture Repair Technology To Companion Animals
Veterinary Dentistry Specialists in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, are the first to utilize resorbable miniplate technology for veterinary oral surgery successfully, a method formerly reserved for humans.
VDS, a veterinary specialty dental/oral surgery practice, has begun using bioresorbable, thermoplastic mini plates for their companion animal patients, pioneering technology in veterinary oral surgery.
"My associate Dr Marissa Berman and I were the first in the United States to utilize this fantastic new technology for the repair of a jaw fracture in a dog: resorbable miniplates," said John Lewis, a diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) and founding fellow of the AVDC's Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Fellowship, in a company release.
He stated that while these technologies have long been used in human dentistry, it takes a long time to adapt them to veterinary dentistry.
"This technology has been available in human maxillofacial surgery for a long time, but as is often the case, it takes a while for new techniques and equipment to 'trickle down' to our veterinary patients," expressed John Lewis, VMD, DAVDC.
Lewis presented this novel approach at a veterinary conference in Florida last month, highlighting a puppy who had recently benefited from mini plates. "Love," a 6-month-old Chihuahua, was treated by Dr Berman for a transverse fracture of the right mandible. The puppy's jaw healed well after the miniplate procedure, and this case, along with others, will be submitted in a case series to the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry.
Some patients benefit from using thermoplastic mini plates, which differ from the titanium plates traditionally used in veterinary dentistry and oral surgery. Similar to dissolvable sutures, they are small, moldable, and safely absorbed by the body within a year. The solution offers improved surgical outcomes with potentially fewer complications for pet owners whose dog or cat suffers a jaw fracture due to injury or dental disease.
