Three things I learned: dental radiology

There's a big artefact on this radiograph, but right beside it
is a nasty tooth root abscess.

Last week we were lucky to have Christine Hawke of Sydney Pet Dentistry visit the practice and host a workshop on dental radiology. Positioning small animal patients can be tricky, but she broke it down and I learned a few things in the process.

1. The root of the canine is usually over the second premolar (a trap for beginners is to aim for the crown, but we can see that - we really want to be aiming for the root).
2. If you want to split the roots on the radiograph (for example, the carnassial or fourth premolar), use a horizontal oblique view.
3. Anatomical structures such as the mandibular foramen can be superimposed over a mandibular tooth root giving the impression of a periapical abscess. If in doubt take a horizontal oblique view.