Puppy with braces regains pain-free smile.

Wesley, a golden retriever, is normally an active puppy.When Molly Moore, 23, of Spring Lake, noticed that her dog was chewing his food kind of funny and stopped playing with his toys, especially his chew-based toys, she became concerned.When Wesley started losing weight, a red flag went up. Moore, who works in her father's veterinary clinic, got the dog checked out and eventually decided that Wesley needed braces to alleviate the pain he was evidently experiencing. The dog's adult teeth weren't coming in properly. Dr. Jim Moore, Molly's father, as a "doggy dentist," performed the procedure at Harborfront Hospital for Animals in Spring Lake. He owns the clinic. "Dental care is just as important for the pets we love as it is for us and we are glad that his cute 'brace face' brought such interest."Wesley is treated as a member of the family. Moore said he will even play a key role in her upcoming wedding.Wesley was back at the veterinary clinic , to have one of his brackets re affixed. The dog will go under anesthesia for this procedure. Orthodontia in pets is normally not for aesthetic purposes, but because of health concerns. That was the case for Wesley.Braces with brackets were affixed to the top part of the dog's mouth and different orthodontia elements with braces were affixed to the bottom part.Jim Moore also does Endodontics, root canals that are often necessary because of pain, and oral surgery, such as for fractured jaws. According to Jim Moore, it is quite common for dogs to have problems with their teeth that may require an oral surgeon to move some teeth. He said he completes that procedure about once a week. As far as putting braces on dogs, that happens about four times a year at the Spring Lake clinic. When asked about why Wesley needed the procedure, Jim Moore said the dog "couldn't close his mouth." A recent check of the dog's teeth showed that "he's nearly perfect," Jim Moore said. Molly Moore said that dental procedures for pets tend to cost less than those for humans."Dental care for our pets is much more affordable than most people realize," she said. Wesley has lived with Molly Moore and her fiancé since they purchased their first house. culled from ;http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/03/brace_face_puppy_regains_pain-.html.