Can someone share with me an article on using 'Ball Therapy' for overbites? I'd like to give it to one of my puppy families. TIA

I have recently experienced overbites, and took the puppies to the dental specialist. He completely scoffs at the idea of ball therapy. Jaws cannot move that much to correct even a mild to moderate overbite. These puppies required surgery at 7 weeks to remove the lower canines and incisiors. Results? Lower jaw moved forward, unimpeded by the upper teeth holding the lower teeth back, and bites are normalizing at 4 months.
Sorry, this puppy needs to see a dental specialist or a veterinarian. The lower canine teeth are jabbing into the top palate and causing pain. Forget do-it-yourself therapies that only waste time, while the puppy suffers.

It amazes me how people always seem to jump to conclusions on this forum, and give advice that was not asked for, a big reason I think many people do not post here. This puppy IS having it's lower puppy canines removed. I am wanting to recommend the Ball Therapy be used as the adult canines are on their way in. I see no reason why this can hurt, and it could possibly help. So, I again ask my original question about information on Ball Therapy. My puppy is not 'suffering'.

Oh, and my understanding of the Ball Therapy, and use in my instance, was to encourage slightly more width in-between the adult lower canines as they come in. I don't know, maybe I am completely misunderstanding this, but that was how it was used in the info I had read.

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Replying to:

It amazes me how people always seem to jump to conclusions on this forum, and give advice that was not asked for, a big reason I think many people do not post here. This puppy IS having it's lower puppy canines removed. I am wanting to recommend the Ball Therapy be used as the adult canines are on their way in. I see no reason why this can hurt, and it could possibly help. So, I again ask my original question about information on Ball Therapy. My puppy is not 'suffering'.

My vet too recommends ball therapy in addtion to other treatments that may be required. I had two pupppies that were over shot. We did remove the lower baby canines, however I was not very successful in getting the new owners to religiously apply ball therapy. One puppy did have one lower canine removed and that plus the removeal of the baby canines allowed just enough shifting that the remaining lower adult canine is barely in its proper place. We are trying ball therapy with the second pup to see if that will shift the teeth out.

As my vet has explained to me, the ball therapy is supposed to gently move the lower canines out with the hopes that future suregery will not be needed -- my vet does not recommend removing both adult lower canines as they are the anchor of the lower jaw and would weaken it to the point where it may break.

No article however she said to find a hard rubber ball that fits snuggly in the lower jaw and teach/allow the puppy to chew on it for 15 minutes four times a day. As the jaw grows larger diameter balls should be used.

Here is an article that I found:
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/home/pets/story.asp?ID=153761


Good luck with you puppy. If you want to e-mail me privately I will see if my vet has found any articles.

Johanne

My vet snips off the lower canines with a nail clipper. He has done several puppies for me this way. The puppies never let out so much as a peep. I used to have guinea pigs and their teeth never stop growing. We had to clip them periodically when they got too long. A vet dental specialist for something as simple as this may be overkill.

I knew nothing about the Ball Therapy. Thanks for the link and information. G.L. with your puppy.

"My vet snips off the lower canines with a nail clipper."
This is also painful, exposing the nerve (baby teeth certainly do have nerves), and is, in my opinion, and the opinion of the veterinary dentist, abuse.
Evolutionarily, animals have "learned" to not show pain in the pack. What are those puppies with exposed, cut nerves supposed to do, say "Excuse me, but this hurts like hell, could you please stop the pain?"
Have you ever had a root canal? With or without multiple novacaine injections? Let me guess, with?
Why would any intelligent person think that this would not hurt?

We have snipped the tips for years. When you remove the baby teeth ther is not a good space to guide the permanent teeth into the proper position. This can make a worse mess than an overbite.