Full Disclosure: I have personally worked for Dr. Beckman's practice.
Brett Beckman, DVM, FAVD, DAVDC, DAAPM is a board certified veterinary dentist at the top of his field. In his Florida and Georgia veterinary dental practices, he performs advanced procedures such as root canals, crown placement, and much more. I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Dr. Beckman and gain some insight into this exciting field.
Q. What made you decide to specialize in veterinary dentistry?
A. My interest in dentistry started in vet school. Unfortunately there was no curriculum in dentistry at Mississippi State University at that time. I organized a one-day lab with Dr. Jim Auvil who was one of only a handful of vets performing advanced dentistry at the time. This was before the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) was born. That lit the fire and once I started my own practice two years after school I immediately bought all of the latest equipment and started going to AAHA sponsored seminars taught by the veterinarians that would soon be the founding fathers of the AVDC. It wasn’t until the late 90s that I found out that one could become board certified without having to go through a traditional residency by studying under other specialists around the world. Although the program was six years instead of two (like the residency), it was perfect for me because I could still practice while learning.
Q. What are the most common advanced dental procedures you perform on dogs?
A. Unfortunately, cancer surgery is common for jaw tumors and is a large part of our advanced procedures. Root canals and crowns are common for fractured teeth especially our canine officers in law enforcement. We frequently perform periodontal regenerative therapy to regrow bone and tooth supporting tissue lost to periodontal disease. Non-invasive jaw fracture repair is also common.
Q. Of the many cases you see, which do you find most interesting? Please share one of your favorites.
A. The most rewarding are the cases where we actually save the lives of pets by removing malignant tumors of the jaw. One particular patient had a large mass that had crossed over the midline of the jaw requiring removal of both the right and left jaw back to the base of the tongue (see before and after). The surgery cured the cancer and the pet leads a normal life to this day. There are countless other cases just like this one where lives were saved by removing invasive tumors however this was the most radical surgery and consequently the most memorable.
Q. Many pet owners are unable to brush their dogs' teeth every day. When it comes to preventing dental disease, are there truly any effective alternatives to tooth brushing?
A. Unfortunately prevention requires a significant commitment on behalf of the pet parent. Brushing daily is the staple, but adjunctive home care is effective and should be initiated with or without brushing. Water additives that kill the bacterial that cause periodontal disease along with chews, wax tooth sealants and dental diets all help but don’t replace regular dental care under anesthesia ideally at a veterinary hospital that has dental x-ray capability. The Veterinary Oral Health Council has a list of approved products. This is the veterinary dental equivalent of the Good Housekeeping Seal.
Q. Pet owners often put off professional cleanings because of concerns regarding anesthesia. How do you typically respond to these concerns?
A. Unless they have other diseases that might increase the risk of anesthesia, dentistry patients do quite well even with radical surgery like multiple extractions or jaw surgery. This is because we have the luxury of local anesthetic nerve blocks that allow us to keep the patient at a light anesthetic plane where they can still swallow. This allows blood pressure, heart function and respiration rate to be close to that of the awake patient. Veterinary anesthesiology is a specialty now and consequently our experience and safety have grown exponentially because of this. We have a large data base of case studies that we can draw on and have safe protocols that alleviate the concerns of the past. I always am very concerned for pets safety under anesthesia however now advanced monitoring capabilities and short acting anesthetics maximize patient safety. The chances of problems are extremely low but the chances of periodontal disease progressing without proper prevention and treatment is 100%.
Q. What role does pain management play in your practice? How has the approach to pain management changed over the course of your career?
A. Dramatic changes have happened in the realm of pain management. As one of the few veterinary diplomates in the American Academy of Pain Management, I am very aggressive in managing my patient’s pain before during and after procedures. We use multiple drugs that are compatible together at low doses so that no one drug dose has to be high. We know the mechanism of action and can target drugs to meet individual patient needs. In the recent past this was all unavailable to us. When I was in vet school and for a time thereafter there was only one drug approved for pain in veterinary medicine. We know now that this drug is extremely poor at managing pain. Fortunately our knowledge now allow us to do major oral surgery and still manage pain very effectively.
Q. Tell us about your own pets. Do you brush their teeth every day?
A. Unfortunately we lost our sweetheart Shelby (the border collie in the picture) last year but my cat is 21 years old this year and has a perfect mouth. We have given her regular prophylactic cleaning in the hospital periodically throughout her life (we are unable to brush due to her wild reaction to any attempts) and she has never had any dental issues. Her teeth, gums and surrounding bone could pass for a one year old’s mouth. This is definitely the exception to the rule.
To learn more about Dr. Beckman and his practice, visit VeterinaryDentistry.net
