Your Pet's Teeth and Your Pet's Health
Every time your pet eats, food particles mix with saliva and settle along the gum lines. This smelly slime is plaque. If it stays there for more than 24 hours it will mineralize and become tartar, which sticks to the surfaces of the tooth like cement. The rough surface of tartar holds even more plaque which causes irritation and inflammation of the gums. This is gingivitis. As the gums become inflamed there is separation from the tooth to cause pockets where more plaque can accumulate. This is periodontal disease and is not completely reversible. Eventually the bacteria invade deeper structures that hold the tooth roots in place and can even invade the animal’s blood stream. Once in circulation, these bacteria can cause damage to internal organs like the kidneys, liver, or heart.
Our staff has been trained to alert pet owners when they see signs of dental disease. A dental exam by a veterinarian is the next step. The doctor will evaluate your pet’s mouth and recommend a treatment plan. This plan of professional dental treatment includes cleaning the teeth and along the gum lines, assessing the health of the tissues that support the teeth by probe and x-rays, and extraction of diseased teeth when necessary. These treatments require general anesthesia so your pet’s general health will be evaluated in a physical exam and pre-anesthetic blood tests.
Dental X-rays are a very important component in your pet's oral health. These x-rays can help us make important treatment decisions that could be hard to make without them. They can help provide a clearer picture of how healthy your pet's mouth really is, and they are highly recommended for all pets.
- Your pet's teeth need to be brushed daily, and the gums need to be wiped. Get into a routine. Never use toothpaste designed for people's teeth, and use a soft cloth or gauze to wipe along the gum line.
- Monitor your dog for periodontal disease by looking for: bad breath, yellow-brown crust on teeth, bleeding gums, change of chewing or eating habits, tooth loss, change in behavior, or abnormal drooling.
- You can also buy special products to ensure that your dog's teeth are healthy and clean. This includes Science Diet T/D, for both dogs and cats, which has been proven to reduce gingivitis and reinforce your pet's teeth. You can also use Oravet Plaque Prevention Gel, which usually is first applied by a technician after dental surgery. It is applied once weekly. These products are available for purchase at Animal Hospital Inc..
If your animal does not need dental surgery, then you can prevent your pet from needing it by taking good care of your pet's teeth at home and coming in for regular checkups. Here's how you can help prevent dental disease in your pet:
Dental Health True/ False
- Chewing hard food and biscuits prevents dental disease. FALSE
- Hard food still leaves particles as it is chewed. Some dental diets have a special design to remove plaque as it is chewed.
- Soft food causes most plaque and tartar. FALSE
- Soft food is often swallowed whole without chewing.
- Soft food is often swallowed whole without chewing.
- Wild animals do not get dental disease because they eat raw food. FALSE
- Wild animals with dental disease may die from malnutrition or may live such short lives they do not develop as much dental disease. Raw food does not prevent dental disease and may expose the pet and owner to dangerous bacteria.
- Wild animals with dental disease may die from malnutrition or may live such short lives they do not develop as much dental disease. Raw food does not prevent dental disease and may expose the pet and owner to dangerous bacteria.
- Only small dogs have dental disease. FALSE
- Small dogs may have more teeth crowding which increases pockets for plaque to accumulate. They also tend to live longer so they have more dental problems.
- Small dogs may have more teeth crowding which increases pockets for plaque to accumulate. They also tend to live longer so they have more dental problems.
- If I brush my pet’s teeth he/she will not need dental treatment. FALSE
- Brushing is an important part of dental care but cannot prevent all dental disease.
- Brushing is an important part of dental care but cannot prevent all dental disease.
- Chewing bones, ice cubes and some toys can cause tooth fractures. TRUE
- We recommend checking with your veterinarian about the best chew toys.
- We recommend checking with your veterinarian about the best chew toys.
- Rawhide and dental chews can reduce the accumulation of plaque. TRUE
- Make sure your pet’s digestive tract tolerates these products and always supervise.
- Make sure your pet’s digestive tract tolerates these products and always supervise.
- General anesthesia is much safer now than just ten years ago; even geriatric animals can be safely anesthetized for dental treatments. TRUE
- Thorough pre-anesthetic assessments, safer anesthetic drugs,
and modern monitoring equipment have greatly reduced the risk of anesthetic complications for dental procedures.
- Thorough pre-anesthetic assessments, safer anesthetic drugs,
and modern monitoring equipment have greatly reduced the risk of anesthetic complications for dental procedures.
- Some breeds have more dental problems than others. TRUE
- Dogs with unusual bites and open mouth breathing have many more risk factors for dental disease.
- Dogs with unusual bites and open mouth breathing have many more risk factors for dental disease.
- Cats can get cavities and may need many teeth pulled. TRUE
- Some cats get resorptive disease of the tooth roots and affected teeth need to be extracted to reduce pain and infection.
Below is an instructional video about how to brush your pet's teeth at home.
