Dental Care
General Information:
Dental calculus (tartar) is a harder matter that accumulates on your pet’s teeth below the gum lines. In the early stages of accumulation, the material is soft (plaque), but it later hardens and adheres to the teeth. Continual accumulation causes inflammation of the gums and eventual recession of the gums and loose teeth. The breath becomes very odorous and the mouth becomes a dangerous source of infection. Untreated tooth and gum disease may allow bacteria to enter the bloodstream and cause damage to the valves of the heart, the liver and lungs.
Periodontal disease is the number one dental problem in dogs, and cats often develop cavities below the gum line that may be hard to detect. These problems affect other parts of the body as bacteria from the mouth disease releases into the bloodstream. In dogs and cats, it can cause heart, liver and kidney disease.
An annual veterinary dental check-up and cleaning (if needed) under a short lasting anesthetic is vital to your pet’s good health. To help control dental disease, you can perform home dental care, such as brushing your pet’s teeth “three times per week”.
What's Involved with Teeth Cleaning?
Veterinary dentistry is quite different from the equivalent process in people. For most of us, caring for our teeth and gums has been part of our daily routine for as long as we can remember. Consequently, a person's visit to the dental hygienist is relatively brief and does not require sedation. In contrast, veterinary dentistry is considerably more involved, time-consuming, and complex. It requires general anesthesia, and consequently a day's hospitalization and the skills of several people, from veterinarians to veterinary technicians and animal attendants.
Your pet's dental cleaning will begin with a physical examination. This is important to evaluate your pet's general health. After the physical exam, your pet is given an anesthesia for a safe and painless sleep during the dental cleaning.
The first part of dental cleaning requires the removal of tartar. This is done with a hand scaler.
Next, a periodontal probe checks for pockets under the gumline where periodontal disease and bad breath starts. An ultrasonic scaler is used to clean above the gumline while a curette cleans and smoothes the teeth under the gumline in the crevice.
Your pet's teeth are polished, creating a smooth surface. The gums are washed with an anti- bacterial solution to help delay tartar build-up both under the gumline and on the crown of the tooth.
Prevention:
Feed dry crunchy foods. Ask us about t/d tartar diet, a prescription food for cats and dogs that cleans the teeth as they eat.
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Provide rawhides especially CET enzymatic chews, nylon chew toys and hard treat foods. Remember that the treat foods are a source of calories and may lead to obesity if too many are given.
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Brush your pet’s teeth 2-3 times a week. Your veterinarian and technician can demonstrate how to teach your pet to enjoy dental care. Brushing not only promotes good oral health, but your pet’s breath will benefit as brushing removes and destroys the bacteria that causes halitosis.
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Regular professional cleaning by your veterinarian is the most effective way to ensure good dental health for your pet.
Brushing Your Pet’s Teeth Can Be As Easy As 1 – 2 – 3
Regular brushing and dental cleaning are just as important for dogs and cats as they are for humans. Yet, too often, we overlook the need for dental care for our pets. By age 3, 8 out of 10 dogs and 7 out of 10 cats have developed gum disease. If your pet has bad breath, he/she has developed gum disease.
Other types of home dental care include enzymatic chews called CET chews, specialized canine and feline diets called t/d (tooth diet) from Hill’s Prescription Diet, and toys such as nylabones.
We encourage people to regularly examine their pet’s teeth for signs of periodontal disease, such as swollen, red, or bleeding gums; persistent bad breath; loose teeth or the loss of teeth; pus between the gums and teeth; broken teeth; and any unusual growth in the mouth. Reluctance to eat, play with chew toys, or drink cold water are all warning signs of periodontal or gum disease.
