As you may have heard via my other social networking outlets, I had a little dental work done this past week. Now, I know what your thinking and no, I didn’t see the orthodontist for my trademark lower teeth. Instead, I went in for what I thought was to be a root canal on one of my upper fangs and much to my surprise, came away one tooth lighter. Oh, Tooth Fairy…pay up!

While my teeth may appear crooked and in need of work, my dental health is actually good. As a member of a breed with many nagging health issues, surprisingly, the English Bulldog can actually have some pretty clean teeth. However, over the past year or so, my parents noticed that something wasn’t quite right with my chompers.

Best care around!

The give-away was heavy drooling on one side of my mouth after consuming very cold items such as water, ice cream, or snow. Oh and rowdy play or destruction of a cardboard box would do the same. After a consult with Dr. Kurt Phillips of Woodland Animal Hospital, it was determined that the drooling was a reaction to pain, likely to an exposed nerve in my mouth.

Dr. Phillips found that one of my front fangs was chipped and discolored, thus, a likely culprit. But you know me, I’m not phased by much, so I just shook it off, treated it with pain meds as needed and went about my way. Well, my parents noticed that the drooling was happening more frequently as of late, so Dr. Phillips suggested we go see Dr. Matt Lemmons of Circle City Veterinarian Specialists who is a trained animal dentist.

Dr. Lemmons agreed that my fang might need a root canal, but wasn’t sure until I was under anesthetic and x-rays could be taken. So on Thursday, Jan. 5th, the x-rays were taken and what Dr. Lemmons found was, my fang had already essentially done a “root canal” on itself, thus, not the cause of my pain. However, I had a pesky molar in the back which had become topped with some sort of purple-pink, ouchy growth. It had to come out.

They pretty much do it all!

I made it through the tooth extraction with flying colors and Dr. Lemmons felt like he’s eliminated my problem. The future looks bright as I can get back to what I love in devouring ice cream and shredding cardboard boxes, but without the painful consequences. However, the short-term future looks difficult. This week I’ll be waiting on stitches to close my gums and dissolve before I can eat my regular food and play with my toys. I can’t wait!

Special thanks to Dr. Phillips and Dr. Lemmons for taking such good care of me. I was quite proud to hear Dr. Lemmons tell Pops that I was the best looking and most healthy English Bulldog he’s ever seen at the age of seven, going on eight.

That’s just a product of good care and great living!

Now, if you happen to run into the tooth fairy, tell her that I’m waiting for my compensation. After all, a tooth extraction isn’t cheap and I’m expecting a big payout! Speaking of which, don’t forget that you can help me pay my dental bills by purchasing my 2012 calendar. It’s January and a perfect time to get my calendar for yourself, family and friends. Pick one up online or at the Butler Bookstore today!