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Dentistry

Dental hygiene is an important aspect of overall care that should be assessed during each visit. Since dental disease can affect more than just the mouth, we encourage dental exams frequently, especially for older dogs. When teeth are not properly cared for, the pain associated with dental disease can hinder proper eating and drinking and any bacteria traveling throughout the body can cause health problems in the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys.

What Is Included In Dentistry Service?

Below is a list of the services you can expect to be included in our dental procedures:

  • Pre-Anesthetic Exam
  • Dental Cleaning/Scaling
  • Dental Polishing
  • Dental Radiographs
  • Extensive Anesthetic Monitoring
  • Pain Control (as needed for extractions)
  • Complimentary Nail Trim
Why are Dentistry Procedures Crucial to Your Pet’s Health?

Severe dental disease can dramatically alter the quality of life for your pet. When left untreated the bacteria associated with dental disease can disintegrate periodontal ligament, causing teeth to fall out or require costly extractions. Routine dental procedures and preventative care, such as brushing the teeth and a proper diet, are recommended for a healthy smile!

The signs of dental disease include bad breath, loose or discolored teeth, drooling or bleeding in severe cases. Due to discomfort and pain, you may also notice your pet avoiding favorite toys, eating one kibble at a time or excessive drooling. The good news is that many owners can tell the difference in their pets just days after a dental.

Modern equipment and medical protocols, such as digital dental X-Rays, allow us to effectively evaluate oral health in a timely manner. During the procedure, we implement breathing tubes, and monitor your pet’s vitals throughout the procedure.

Healthy Mouth vs. Dental Disease

When inspecting the mouth of a healthy pet, you shouldn’t notice any bad breath, reddening, swelling or plaque. Are you ready to try that one at home?

Dental disease, classified in four stages, is classified below:

Stage 1
Since this is the initial stage of dental disease, we usually recommend that pet owners bring in their pets for a clean and polishing treatment to prevent further deterioration.

Stage 2
The second stage becomes aggressive quickly. Due to gingivitis, the gums have already shown signs of infection. At this point, the gums and periodontal ligament are starting to disintegrate, which leaves your pet with the infamous bad breath.

Stage 3
At stage 3, your pet will be experiencing pain and discomfort as the infection leads to bleeding and loose teeth. Unfortunately, at this point treatments aren’t as effective as they would have been in the first two stages as the gums and ligaments are starting to wear down past the point of full recovery.

Stage 4
In the most severe stage, the teeth are so infected that they might start falling out on their own. At this point, you need to schedule immediate removals. You can recognize this stage by exposure of the roots and behavioral changes in your pet as they attempt to cope with the pain.

Prevention of Dental Disease

After reading the stages of dental disease above, it’s apparent that preventing dental disease is the best course of action for overall health.

Here are some tips to practice at home:

  1. Brush your pet’s teeth daily. When introducing a brushing schedule for the first time, start slowly. Not only will your dog be hesitant to the practice, their gums will be sensitive. You can ask our staff for toothbrush and toothpaste recommendations – we may even have a few in our office for purchase and demonstration!
  2. Consider new food solutions. Many brands, such as Hill’s, offer special food options that promote dental health. These foods are specially designed to remove tartar and plaque from the teeth by gently scraping the tooth surface as your pet chews.
  3. Adopt dental products, such as Tartar Shield. If your pet has had dental problems in the past or has bad dental habits, additional products can often be beneficial. These products include soft rawhide chews, dog biscuits, cat treats and dissolvable tablets for drinking water. When used regularly, these can reduce plague build up, just make sure to ask your veterinarian first if they are safe for your pet.
  4. Pick up some OraVet. Especially after a dental cleaning, this product is specialized to take care of plaque and tartar. By applying the product to the outside surface of the teeth once a week, you will create a barrier against plaque and harmful bacteria.
The Importance of Anesthetic Dental Cleaning

Most pets tend to wiggle too much and lose patience with the longer dental procedures, which is why we offer anesthetic cleanings. During these procedures, the teeth are polished using an ultrasonic scaler that cleans both above and below the gum line.

Since 90 percent of the tooth is below the gum line, it’s essential for us to reach that area in addition to the exposed tooth and gum line. That’s why we always make it a priority to include a full-mouth dental x-ray to track how much work needs to be done under the gums.

Unfortunately, we sometimes come across teeth that are past saving. By surgically extracting these bad teeth, rest assured that we are helping to relieve your pet from pain and preventing the spread of bacteria. In order to accomplish this, a nerve block at the extraction site is put in place. We also conduct a post-extraction dental x-ray to confirm that all portions of the diseased tooth have been removed.