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4 Tuesday <strong>May</strong> 7 <strong>2019</strong><br />
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
News<br />
Dentistry is a common daily surgical<br />
procedure carried out at our Practice. We are<br />
all trained in dentistry and are lucky enough<br />
to have dental radiography which in the case<br />
of Mabel, it proved invaluable in diagnosing<br />
her tooth troubles. Due to most pets poor<br />
dental hygiene ( daily tooth brushing isn’t<br />
a priority for most people), your pet will<br />
at least once in their life need a thorough<br />
dental exam, scale and polish and possible<br />
extractions under a general anaesthetic.<br />
Checking a pets teeth and gums is a regular<br />
part of a physical exam.<br />
Pet owners often won’t<br />
pick up early dental<br />
disease, only noticing<br />
their pet is suffering if it<br />
refuses food, salivates<br />
profusely or has a very<br />
smelly breath. Many<br />
pets will exhibit no<br />
clinical symptoms.<br />
Poor dental hygiene<br />
leads to other serious<br />
metabolic diseases like<br />
kidney and liver disease, endocarditis, urinary<br />
tract infections and gastrointestinal disease to<br />
name a few.<br />
In older pets, periodontal disease is common.<br />
Here you get infection and inflammation<br />
around the periodontal ligament and tooth<br />
root due to toxins released from the bacteria<br />
in tartar. Early on gingivitis ( inflammation<br />
around the gingiva) is reversible with<br />
thorough scaling and polishing, then a regular<br />
home care dental programme involving tooth<br />
brushing, various gels to apply to the gums,<br />
prescription dental diets, and occasional large<br />
raw bones that cant be demolished ( canon<br />
bones). If left undiagnosed, gingivitis quickly<br />
evolves into periodontitis and you get loss of<br />
bone around the root and a loose diseased<br />
tooth that requires extraction.<br />
McMaster & Heap<br />
Veterinary practice<br />
DENTISTRY<br />
In young animals that present with<br />
dental pain, a fractured or chipped tooth<br />
exposing the pulp cavity, or diseased root is<br />
commonplace. These dental problems are<br />
seen in cats due to their fighting and hunting<br />
pastimes. We see these issues in dogs due to<br />
their obsessive chewing and destroying of<br />
bones, hard objects and toys.<br />
Mabel, a 71/2 year old Shih Tzu presented as<br />
her very attentive owner suspected a tooth<br />
issue. Mabel had stopped eating suddenly,<br />
wouldn’t pick up and play with her toys and<br />
occasionally cried out in pain and had become<br />
quiet and clingy.<br />
On initial examination<br />
her teeth and gums<br />
looked very good,<br />
apart from some<br />
mild tartar and<br />
gingivitis. I couldn’t<br />
identify any fractured<br />
or loose teeth, no<br />
lumps, bruising or<br />
lesions were seen in<br />
the oral cavity, and<br />
there appeared to be<br />
nothing stuck. On gently opening Mabels<br />
mouth open she cried. The rest of her clinical<br />
examination was unremarkable.<br />
It was decided to anaesthetise Mabel and<br />
thoroughly examine and probe her teeth<br />
to establish her acute pain. It was only after<br />
performing dental radiography that we were<br />
we able to identify the problem tooth - an<br />
upper molar with an abscessed root that<br />
couldn’t be seen from the oral cavity exam.<br />
This tooth was extracted and Mabel recovered<br />
quickly and uneventfully.<br />
Make sure your vet thoroughly inspects your<br />
pets mouth on a routine checkup. It can save<br />
lots of discomfort and money spent, if dental<br />
disease is identified early on. A healthy mouth<br />
leads to a happy life!<br />
Dr Michele McMaster<br />
Decision on crime cameras<br />
will be made in August<br />
• By Louis Day<br />
A DECISION on the<br />
funding of Sumner’s crime<br />
cameras will not be made<br />
until August 5.<br />
A key figure behind the<br />
bid to bring crime cameras<br />
to the suburb said this was<br />
too long to wait.<br />
Chief executive of security<br />
company October<br />
Protection<br />
and Sumner<br />
resident Matt<br />
Wood, was<br />
ready to<br />
supply Safer<br />
Matt Wood<br />
Sumner with<br />
security<br />
cameras after they raised<br />
$4000.<br />
However, the cost of<br />
the cameras skyrocketed<br />
to $20,000 after police<br />
requested the cameras be<br />
• By Louis Day<br />
PROPERTY restrictions<br />
on Port Hills’ homeowners<br />
could be reduced.<br />
The city council has<br />
agreed to ask Minister for<br />
Greater Christchurch Regeneration<br />
Megan Woods<br />
to update the slope instability<br />
overlays in the District<br />
Plan to reflect the changed<br />
risk profile.<br />
The proposal is expected<br />
to be handed to Dr Woods<br />
in July and she will have a<br />
month to make a decision.<br />
After the earthquakes,<br />
slope instability modelling<br />
was carried out on the Port<br />
Hills to identify properties<br />
affected by – or potentially<br />
at risk from – rockfall, cliff<br />
collapse or movement.<br />
However, the current<br />
outdated slope instability<br />
overlays are imposing unnecessary<br />
restrictions on<br />
aligned with their system.<br />
This led to Safer Sumner<br />
approaching the Linwood-<br />
Central-Heathcote<br />
Community Board in<br />
December.<br />
The community board<br />
requested further technical<br />
information on the<br />
cameras following their<br />
presentation.<br />
Safer Sumner made<br />
a formal application to<br />
the Strengthening Communities<br />
Fund once the<br />
SOUTHERN VIEW<br />
community board received<br />
the technical information<br />
which will be decided on in<br />
August.<br />
“We have had a measure<br />
to reduce crime, I have<br />
purchased the cameras,<br />
they are sitting in my office<br />
when they could have deterred<br />
a serious amount of<br />
crime and we just continue<br />
to face red tape,” Mr Wood<br />
said.<br />
Mr Wood said Sumner<br />
desperately needed some<br />
form of crime prevention.<br />
“Criminals look for<br />
weakness and wealth.<br />
Sumner portrays wealth<br />
and the absence of cameras<br />
and a permanent police<br />
presence in Sumner is<br />
creating weakness and<br />
therefore opening ourselves<br />
up to crime.”<br />
Proposal to ease restrictions<br />
on Port Hills properties<br />
CHANGE:<br />
Restrictions<br />
on property<br />
owners in<br />
the Port<br />
Hills could<br />
reduce.<br />
Port Hills homeowners.<br />
Deputy <strong>May</strong>or Andrew<br />
Turner said the updated<br />
overlays would reduce<br />
restrictions on affected<br />
homeowners.<br />
“It would give the property<br />
owner more flexibility<br />
and it, therefore, means<br />
when the property is sold<br />
it gives the future owner<br />
more flexibility, which may<br />
well be reflected in property<br />
values,” he said.<br />
The city council’s regulatory<br />
performance committee<br />
said without an amendment<br />
to the slope instability<br />
overlays, affected property<br />
owners would continue to<br />
have unnecessary restrictions,<br />
costs and uncertainty<br />
imposed on them.<br />
“This may result<br />
in property owners<br />
being unable to carry<br />
out activities on their<br />
properties, may hinder<br />
property sales and may<br />
be affecting property<br />
values,’’ a report from the<br />
committee said.<br />
Open 7 days<br />
Cnr Hoon Hay & Coppell place<br />
phone 338 2534, Fax 339 8624<br />
e. mcmasterandheap@yahoo.co.nz<br />
www.mcmasterheap.co.nz<br />
McMaster & Heap<br />
“Where Every Smile Matters”<br />
Experienced team provides<br />
caring and gentle dentistry<br />
for the whole family<br />
Dental Hygienist Available<br />
Sedation dentistry<br />
Wedding packages<br />
Winz quotes<br />
ZOOM whitening<br />
treatment<br />
ACC accredited<br />
Dental Health Counselling<br />
Free treatment for<br />
adolescents (13-18 years)<br />
Free treatment of children<br />
(0-13) with a school dentist<br />
referral<br />
PH 332 6399<br />
104 Colombo Street,<br />
Beckenham, Christchurch<br />
www.smileconcepts.co.nz
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