Dental composite for the fixation of mandibular fractures and luxations in 11 cats and 6 dogs.

Twenty-one mandibular fractures in 11 cats and 6 dogs were repaired during a 20-month period. A new technique using dental composite was used to stabilize the mandible. The canine teeth were pumiced, acid etched, and aligned with dental composite, leaving the mouth opened approximately 1 cm. Six weeks after surgery the composite was removed so that radiographs of the mandible could be made with the animal under general anesthesia. In 1 dog in which the fracture had not healed, the composite was replaced. The composite broke before 6 weeks in 8 animals; 2 required replacement of the dental composite. There were no other complications. The median time for fracture healing was 6 weeks. All fractures healed with anatomic dental occlusion. The advantages of this technique are that no further damage is caused to the teeth or to the blood supply of the bone, the occlusion is anatomic, dermatitis (which is seen with tape muzzles) is not a complication, and the technique is easy to use in brachycephalic breeds, cats, and animals with poor bone quality. The limiting factor of this technique is that it does require four salvageable canine teeth. This repair technique is still a viable option even if one or more of the canine teeth are fractured. Dental composite stabilization is fast, easy, inexpensive, and, in our series, it was 100% effective for the repair of mandibular fractures.