West Slope Veterinary Dentistry & Oral Surgery

06/06/2024

Some oral tumors are aggressive, infiltrating the underlying bone around them. These tumors require more aggressive oral surgery for removal leading to better long term survival, and improved quality of life. is here for your advanced veterinary dentistry needs!

05/29/2024

Routine care is so important for monitoring and slowing down the progression of periodontal disease in our pets - it’s one of the most common diseases that affects dogs and cats. This involves good, daily home care plans, and annual anesthetized oral exams with scaling and polishing of the teeth.

Eddy was referred to Dr. Ringen by for his annual COHAT with scaling and polishing. This allowed us to stay on top of some “trouble” areas in his mouth before things progressed to the point of needing extractions.

Remember, our pets won’t let us know if something is wrong, so without routine monitoring we won’t be able to identify oral health issues early. Please reach out if you have questions about your pets oral health care!

05/23/2024

We want to give a huge shout out to West Slope Veterinary Dentistry & Oral Surgery for joining us a Bronze Sponsor!

Tickets: https://pickinintherockies.com/tickets/

05/14/2024

Fact: most discolored teeth are dead (non-vital). These teeth can become infected and cause oral pain, and therefore should be treated. This curious bird dog, Millie, was referred to for treatment after her vet saw that she had a discolored tooth. Dr. Ringen performed a root canal on the tooth saving important tooth structure for all the years of hunting and playing to come! Since root canals don’t require any oral surgery, once Millie is awake after the procedure she can go right back to her normal diet and play schedule! Thank you for referring Millie, and for hosting the procedure!

05/02/2024

Who’s got a perfect smile? - This guy! Not only does his mom brush his teeth everyday, Benson literally scratches at the drawer for the toothpaste. Benson was referred and treated by for his traumatic occlusion when he was a puppy. Benson is now 6 months old and was seen by Dr. Ringen again to check his occlusion at this point - We’re happy to report that all of his adult teeth have erupted and his occlusion is normal! Looking good Benson, keep doing your thing!

04/25/2024

2 year old Zoe was referred to for significant oral inflammatory disease commonly called stomatitis which is very painful. Cats are stoic, often hiding any signs that they are in pain, so when told their pet needs significant surgical treatment it can come as a real shock to some owners. Zoe needed full mouth extractions, the gold standard treatment for this disease. Although this is major oral surgery, Zoe is going to feel much better once she has healed. With the help of , we’ll be keeping a close eye on Zoe during this time. Thank you VCA Tiara Rado for the great in providing Zoe with great oral health care!

04/18/2024

Double root canal day! This little sweet pea, Bebe, was recently rescued by her new person. Her lower canine teeth had been severely worn, exposing the pulp cavities of the teeth, resulting in pain and infection of the teeth. She was referred to Dr. Ringen by Dr. Fromm who hosted for root canal treatment. We are so happy that Bebe has found her forever home and the opportunity to be a part of her oral health care. Thank you and team for another great referral and opportunity to help another pup!

04/12/2024

Gizmo pup recently broke her tooth during a seizure. Her owners were interested in their options for preserving what was left of the tooth - We had a great discussion about all the benefits of root canal treatment. With her remaining tooth structure Gizmo can go right back to grabbing and throwing all of her toys around! Thanks to Monument View Veterinary Hospital for referring Gizmo to , we can’t wait to see her for her recheck exam!

04/03/2024

Special Report!
In an effort to ensure the accessibility of our services & advanced oral healthcare options for pets on the Western Slope of Colorado, will not only be continuing its mobile operations, but will also be working with in to meet referral & pet owner needs. Whether you are wanting to refer from another veterinary clinic, or you are a pet owner looking to schedule with us, calling Sky Canyon direct to access our care is all you need to do! Without any hesitation, please contact us with questions or concerns you may have. *We will continue to offer complimentary phone consultations to pet owners as well as clinical Doc to Doc case consults as requested.
Wherever you are, we’re here to meet all of your veterinary dentistry needs!

03/30/2024

03/28/2024

In the blink of an eye he’s… driving?! Patient accomplice, Stella, loyally up for any adventure with this little big guy. ☺️🎉🫣

03/14/2024

Teeth are living structures that have a blood and nerve supply. In young animals, the teeth have wide pulp cavities. As the pet and teeth get older, the living cells of the tooth continue to make dentin and deposit it along the inside of the pulp cavity resulting in a narrower pulp chamber. In this dental radiograph we see a dead (aka non-vital) incisor tooth, with a wide pulp chamber compared to the surrounding teeth, indicating that this tooth died some time ago. It is important to identify and treat dead teeth because they can become infected, and are a source of oral pain for our pets - When identified these teeth need to be treated.

03/06/2024

Meet Mara Jade - she is a happy 6 month old pup that Dr. Ringen recently examined as follow up from a broken lower jaw she had when she was only 8 weeks old. The jaw fractures have all healed, however, as her adult teeth erupted a few teeth near the jaw fracture had some defects and one of the incisors was missing. Welp, we found the missing incisor! Dental radiographs revealed the missing incisor was impacted in the lower jaw. Impacted teeth can form cysts so it is important to remove them when identified. Dr. Ringen was able to locate the impacted tooth in the bone and remove it. We’re excited to see Mara Jade as we continue to monitor her oral health!

02/22/2024

One of these incisors doesn’t look like the others! The abnormal tooth was found during an oral health exam in this young puppy. The tooth looks like it has 2 crowns, because it does, in a way. The tooth buds of the developing 2nd and 3rd incisors fused during development resulting in this double crowned tooth. We love what we do and the interesting little findings along the way. 🦷🪄

02/15/2024

Traumatic malocclusions are painful and should be addressed in a timely fashion once discovered! They can occur in the baby, and the adult dentition, and are commonly identified during a routine oral exam. Dr. Ringen had an orthodontic consultation and procedure this week with a 14 week old puppy with base narrow lower canine teeth, a common traumatic malocclusion. These teeth poked into the roof of his mouth which hurts! The traumatic occlusion was treated and we’re excited to see this pup back in 2 months to take a peak at his adult teeth!

02/01/2024

While February is recognized as National Pet Dental Health Month, at every month is Dental Month 😁 Good oral health plays a huge role in our pets’ quality of life - The fact of the matter is that routine home oral health care, and regular (annual or semi-annual) anesthetized oral health evaluations are the best ways to keep our pets and their mouths feeling great! is mobile on the of Colorado for all of your pet’s oral health needs.

01/25/2024

Periodontal disease, if left untreated eventually leads to loss of teeth due to severe destruction of the oral tissues holding the teeth in the mouth. When this disease process is diagnosed early, destruction of the oral tissue and bone are less, which can result in a periodontal pocket. Periodontal pockets can be thoroughly cleaned out to allow the normal tissue around the tooth to reattach, thus saving the tooth. This was the case for our new buddy, Ranger, who Dr. Ringen saw for his annual oral health exam. Catching periodontal disease early results in less invasive treatment options, and the ability to save teeth.

01/18/2024

Bebe recently had an anesthetized oral exam, however no dental radiographs were taken. Following the exam, the owner still had concerns about her oral health given she had noticeable wear on some of her teeth. Bebe’s new, local veterinarian, requested to evaluate Bebe’s oral cavity, and provide treatment. Dr. Ringen found 7 teeth that needed to be extracted including the tooth (circled) in the picture, which visually looks normal. The radiograph of the tooth revealed that it was dead and had abscesses around each tooth root. Dental radiographs are crucial to a complete evaluation of the mouth, and without them diseased and infected teeth like Bebe’s go unidentified, continuing to be a source of pain for our pets!

01/05/2024

Cookie presented with an oral squamous cell carcinoma diagnosed early by her veterinarian, and was referred to for surgical treatment. These are aggressive tumors that infiltrate the oral tissue and bone and can possibly spread to other areas in the body. Dr. Ringen was able to completely remove Cookie’s oral tumor. Early detection can aid in these treatment outcomes - If you detect an oral tumor, reach out to with questions or to discuss treatment options!

12/28/2023

Crown cementation day! Stella is an avalanche rescue dog who recently broke her right maxillary 4th premolar. Dr. Ringen performed root canal treatment on the tooth and prepped it for a metal crown including taking an impression of the tooth which was then used by to make her crown. Stella’s crown was a perfect fit!

12/22/2023

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

12/14/2023

Loki was referred to for oral ulcerations on the inside of his mouth. His owners let us know that he used to be an energetic, mischievous pup but these days he spends most of his time lying around - They can tell he’s in pain. Medications and cleaning the teeth did not resolve this disease. Treatment by Dr. Ringen involved extraction of all teeth in Loki’s mouth. When healed, Loki will feel much better - he’ll still be able to eat his normal diet, have more energy to play, and have an overall improved quality of life 😄

12/07/2023

Although jaw fractures in puppies have excellent prognoses, they typically involve the developing adult teeth, therefore it is important to re-evaluate the adult teeth once they have erupted. Hunny, is a sweet Golden who had a lower, left jaw fracture when she was a tiny puppy (picture 1 and 2). Dr. Ringen stabilized the jaw fracture, and recommended follow up exams while the fracture was healing, and once the adult teeth had erupted (8 months of age). At 8 months, the owners reported that Hunny’s lower left canine tooth had erupted then fallen out. During the anesthetized recheck exam, Dr. Ringen found a draining tract was present where the adult canine tooth should have been. The crown of the tooth had developed but the root of the tooth did not leaving a tooth socket with abnormal, inflamed and infected tissue, which needed treatment. Dr. Ringen also noted that one of Hunny’s lower premolars did not develop (it was destroyed during the fracture). The 3rd picture is Hunny’s left lower jaw showing the retained baby canine, no adult canine tooth, and a missing premolar - the 4th picture is the area after it was treated. The last picture is Hunny’s right lower jaw, which was not fractured, and is normal.

11/30/2023

We missed posting last week as we were spending time with family for the Thanksgiving holiday. The time gave us an opportunity to reflect on our year & how grateful we are for our family, friends, & for all of the wonderful relationships we’ve built with the veterinary community & pet owners on the western slope of Colorado. We always love sharing good news from cases, or interesting pieces from our veterinary dental world - We just received confirmation on the complete surgical excision of a canine acanthomatous ameloblastoma (oral tumor). Dr. Ringen had performed a segmental mandibulectomy to remove the tumor, associated bone and soft tissue. At 3 weeks out from surgery the patient is healing well, & back to eating her kibble & enjoying her dental treats!

11/17/2023

Meet Hopscotch, a 7 year-old kitty, who was recently evaluated by Dr. Ringen. When looking in the mouth we could see that Hopscotch had areas of gingivitis (inflammation of the gum tissue) and plaque accumulation on the teeth. Once anesthetized Dr. Ringen performed a complete, comprehensive oral assessment and found a 3mm pocket (normal is less that 1mm) around Hopscotch’s back left molar (circled in the picture). Dental radiographs revealed bone loss around the back root of the tooth which needed to be treated. This case highlights the importance of annual, anesthetized oral health exams since these findings would not have been detected on an awake patient during an awake oral health exam. We were honored to be a part of Hopscotch’s oral health care - See you next year Hopscotch!

11/09/2023

This is Buster, a 6 year-old Border Collie, who was kicked by a horse, fracturing his lower right jaw. Buster and his owner are from outside of town. Referred by a colleague, the owner reached out to us and was ready and willing to travel to Grand Junction for treatment. As a mobile veterinary dentistry practice, we travel to various veterinary clinics on the western slope. We organized with one of our fantastic collaborating clinics in town and were able to provide treatment for Buster the next day.

11/02/2023

“Chip” fractures, better know as uncomplicated crown fractures or enamel-dentin fractures are not just innocuous chips off the tooth. These fractures involve the outer layer of the tooth crown (the enamel) and the underlying dentin. Dentin is porous and has tubules that run through it to the pulp cavity of the tooth. Oral bacteria can travel through the tubules to the pulp and infect the tooth. In the first picture, the tooth has a “chip” fracture and if you look closer you can see two red dots below the gum line which are draining tracts corresponding with tooth root abscesses. The second picture is a dental radiograph of the tooth showing the tooth root abscesses which are the lucent area associated with each tooth root. Based on the clinical and radiographic findings, this tooth was extracted.

10/27/2023

It’s one of our favorite times of year - fall… the holiday season… those things for sure, AND it’s also time for the annual Veterinary Dental Forum! Meeting up with colleagues, attending lectures and discussing everything veterinary dentistry!