Veterinary Dental Specialties & Oral Surgery

11/18/2025

Learn how to save an immature tooth with a deep vertical fracture in the latest veterinary dental case study. 🦷 🐶

Brook Niemiec shares the story of this juvenile dog and how the team achieved a successful outcome after two endodontic treatments, periodontal surgery, and multiple advanced restorative procedures.

Read the case: https://www.vdspets.com/immaturetoothfracture/

11/14/2025

Thank you to all who attended our Austin VDS “Feline Dentistry and Anesthesia” lecture. We had a full house thanks to all of you, our hosts at IDEXX, and Sergio H., Leslie Sirmons, Stephanie Hon, and Brook Niemiec!

We look forward to seeing you again soon. If you have questions, DM us or reach out to https://www.vdspets.com/location/austin/.

11/10/2025

Join us tomorrow in Austin for our VDS “Feline Dentistry and Anesthesia” lecture.

Only a few spots remain for this free dinner and CE event. Register here: https://www.vdspets.com/person-classes/

Leslie Sirmons Sergio H.

11/03/2025

New article in the October 29th edition: "Anesthesia-free dentistry does not provide any demonstrable medical benefit for the control of periodontal disease in dogs," authored by Brook Niemiec, Katherine B. Kangas and Erin Ribka.

Veterinarians—and especially veterinary dentists—have long known that anesthesia-free dentistry does not provide true medical benefit. In fact, many specialty boards and national and international veterinary associations have formal position statements opposing its use. Despite this, it remains a common procedure worldwide.

This new article in AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) is the first to definitively demonstrate that anesthesia-free dentistry does not improve the oral health of our patients. Its findings were considered by the Nevada Veterinary Medical Board in their decision to strengthen regulations against the procedure.

Read the article:

JAVMA Study: Anesthesia-free dentistry does not provide any demonstrable medical benefit for the control of periodontal disease in dogs

10/28/2025

5 spots remain for our December Dublin, CA CE event. Join Brook Niemiec and Stephanie Hon as they share their knowledge of dentistry and anesthesia with the veterinary community. Register for FREE, thanks to our sponsors Addison Biological Laboratory, Inc., PerioVive and IDEXX.

December 10: "Feline Dentistry and Anesthesia" lecture hosted at VDS Dublin.

Register to save your spot: https://www.vdspets.com/person-classes/

10/27/2025

Mondays at VDS mean a fresh start and a full schedule of pets receiving dental care. We’re proud to support our referring veterinarians and their patients every step of the way across all of our locations.

Learn more: vdspets.com

😺 📸 : Jasper

10/24/2025

Specialty Dental Care with Direct Anesthesia Monitoring – Nov 11 at VDS Austin

We’re excited to partner with Stephanie Hon, DVM, DACVAA of Anesthesia Black for a special day of direct-monitored anesthesia and dental procedures at VDS Austin on Tuesday, November 11, 2025.

Dr. Hon will be on-site alongside Brook Niemiec, bringing together advanced anesthesia and dental expertise for cases requiring enhanced monitoring and collaboration.

Only a few procedure spots remain available.

This opportunity is ideal for canine and feline patients whose medical complexity or oral disease necessitates this level of specialty care; however, even healthy patients can choose to schedule with this specialist team. If you're currently managing a patient who may benefit, we encourage you to reach out for a consultation. We're here to support referring DVMs in providing the best outcomes for their patients.

Contact: austinstaff@vdspets.com

Call: 730-301-3671

More info: https://www.vdspets.com/location/austin/

10/21/2025

On November 11, Stephanie Hon will be at VDS Austin to assist Brook Niemiec with our direct monitoring of anesthesia cases. 🦷

Get to know Dr. Hon:
Dr. Stephanie Hon is a board-certified anesthesiologist currently serving as the Assistant Director of Surgery and Anesthesia for the Center of Animal Resources and Education (CARE) at Cornell University. Throughout her career in academia, she has also worked in private practice, both for routine operations as well as consultation for challenging species or pathologies. Dr. Hon prides herself on championing the tenets of accessible specialty care, teaching with an approachable, immediately applicable mindset. With a passion to expand the veterinary community's access to anesthesia services, Dr. Hon founded a private anesthesia company, Anesthesia Black, a group of board-certified professionals providing turn-key anesthesia services for risk management in diverse environments. Working across academic tertiary referral centers, multiple-specialty referral private practices, single-specialty clinics, and general practices, both equine and small animal, Anesthesia Black provides performance, reliability and discretion. Leading both specialty and general practice continuing education lecture series, Anesthesia Black is always looking for new opportunities to help veterinary practices expand or evolve their own anesthesia care team.

👀 Learn more about Anesthesia Black: anesthesiablack.com.

📅 Schedule an appointment at VDS Austin for November 11th by contacting austinstaff@vdspets.com.

10/20/2025

Join Brook Niemiec November 19th for a special WSAVA - World Small Animal Veterinary Association webinar: "Practical Approaches to Antimicrobial Use in Veterinary Dentistry."

This lecture will explore the current recommendations for antibiotic usage in veterinary dentistry. Starting with a discussion of the latest research in oral bacteriology, we will discuss proper antibiotic selection. Then will cover pre-intra-and post-op recommendations as well as various pathologies.

Register below to virtually attend this World AMR Awareness Week webinar.

🦷 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿: 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗩𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆

📅 19 November, 8:00 pm EST (1:00 am UTC, 20 November)
In celebration of World AMR Awareness Week, WSAVA invites you to a special webinar on the responsible use of antibiotics in veterinary dentistry.

Join experts Dr. J. Scott Weese and Dr. Brook Niemiec as they share the latest insights on oral bacteriology, antimicrobial selection, and pre-, intra-, and post-operative antibiotic use. Learn how to apply current recommendations to everyday practice and play your part in the global effort against antimicrobial resistance.

👉 Don’t miss this important session!

Register now: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_y7d8FgUCRYCCvqgLWcPZ4A #/registration

10/13/2025

🎉 Happy National Vet Tech Week! 🐾

Huge shoutout to our incredible techs at all our VDS locations, you’re the heartbeat of our practice. Your skill, passion, and pride keep everything running smoothly.

Special thanks to Susan Burns, RVT, VTS (Anesthesia/Analgesia) from VDS Dublin for joining us this week at VDS Austin (pictured below) — what a team!

💙 We’re grateful for everything you do.

Leslie Sirmons

10/13/2025

Want to learn more about "Anesthetic Strategies for the Dental Patient"? Check out Brook Niemiec and Dr. Stephanie Hon's article in Today's Veterinary Practice, coming out this November in print (or available online now!).

About the article: General veterinary practice encompasses both anesthesia and dentistry skill sets on a continuum, ranging from basic to advanced care, and it is up to the practitioner's discretion to determine when a case should be referred.

📗 https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/dentistry/anesthetic-strategies-for-the-dental-patient/

General practice encompasses both anesthesia and dentistry skill sets, and it is up to the practitioner to determine when a case should be referred.

10/10/2025

Looking to better understand and use regional anesthesia in your vet dental practice? Now you can learn alongside Brook Niemiec in our fully online course. Start today from anywhere: https://vetdentaltraining.thinkific.com/courses/ai-placeholder.

Use code "25regional" for 25% off through October 31st. You'll earn 2 Hours of RACE-approved CE.