Our pets are an important part of our lives, and are considered by many of us to be members of the family. Like us, their dental health is important to overall well-being. Dental care is an important part of any good preventive medicine program and is essential if we want our pets to live longer and happier lives.

Dental hygiene is a crucial part of your pet's health and can often be the cause of serious illness. Dental problems, if left untreated, can lead to larger troubles in your pet due to oral bacteria entering the blood stream and damaging the kidneys, heart and liver.

Pets have dental disease just like you. Most dental problems can be avoided by bringing your pet to the veterinarian for regular check-ups and teeth cleanings. Bad breath and / or reddened gums are usually signs of dental problems.

Some Signs of Dental Problems include:

• Bad breath - one of the first signs of dental disease
• A yellowish-brown crust of plaque on the teeth near the gum line
• Red and swollen gums
• Pain or bleeding when your pet eats or when the mouth or gums are touched
• Decreased appetite or difficulty eating
• Loose or missing teeth

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 dentist is relatively brief and does not require sedation. In contrast, veterinary dentistry is considerably more involved, time consuming and complex. Cleaning a pet's teeth requires general anesthesia, and consequently a day's hospitalization. The skills of several people, from veterinarians to veterinary technicians and animal attendants, are required for each procedure.

After appropriate pre-anesthetic screening, our veterinary staff regularly performs cleanings, scaling, assessment of tooth and gum health and extractions. Teeth cleanings are day long procedures that allow your pet to go home the same day after fully recovering from anesthesia.

Dental Disease

Dental disease begins with the accumulation of tartar on the tooth surface. Tartar mineralizes to form plaque that traps bacteria next to the gums, resulting in inflammation and infection of the tissues (gingivitis). Plaque further mineralizes to form calculus on the tooth, leading to more severe infection and ultimately bone destruction and tooth loss. When roots of loose teeth become infected, tooth root abscesses may develop, causing the release of bacteria throughout the bloodstream. Once there is significant tartar and calculus on teeth, the only way to effectively eliminate the problem is with a professional dental cleaning.

Prevention and Home Care

The good news is that dental disease can be prevented. By incorporating a program of home dental care, a crunchy kibble diet, and regular professional cleanings by your veterinarian, your pet can have healthier teeth and gums. We have many home care dental products available for your pet, from specialized finger toothbrushes to chicken flavored toothpaste. Changing your pet's food from canned to dry can also significantly reduce the rate at which tartar and calculus accumulate.

Be patient when initiating oral home care, especially in older animals. It is best to start dental care at an early age. Introduce brushing gradually and begin by rubbing your pet's teeth and gums with a soft gauze wrapped around a finger. Gradually switch over to a toothbrush designed for pets or to a very soft human toothbrush. Avoid forceful restraint of the patient; rather make it a bonding experience and always praise and reward your pet for its cooperation.

Regular dental check-up visits to your veterinarian are strongly recommended. The interval between visits varies from pet to pet and also depends upon how effective the home care program is. Hardened tartar should be removed by your veterinarian, as this requires the use of special instruments and equipment. Routine periodontal treatment performed by a veterinarian typically includes ultrasonic scaling, subgingival manual scaling, and polishing.

All dental procedures in pets, including scaling and polishing, are performed under general anesthesia. The current state-of-the-art of veterinary anesthesia is such, that this poses minimal risk. The adverse effects of bad teeth on the overall health of the animal also greatly outweigh the anesthetic risk.

Tooth Decay and Dental Fractures

The type of cavities that people get rarely occurs in dogs and cats. Cats; however, are prone to developing a different type of cavity called resorption lesion. These poorly understood lesions often begin at or below the gumline. Red, inflamed gums around an affected tooth and pain are early signs that can be noticed by the pet owner. These lesions require immediate veterinary care.

Dental fractures are common in the dog and treatment is mandatory if pulp exposure has occurred. The exposed pulp is not only very painful but also harmful. Without proper treatment, an abscess often occurs. Root canal surgery can be performed on a fractured tooth; however, most veterinary hospitals do not offer this service. Treatments such as root canal surgery, crown restoration prosthodontics and bridges are performed by veterinary dental specialists at referral centers.

Orthodontics

In the field of orthodontics, attention is paid to the manner in which the teeth are arranged relative to one another (so-called "bite problems"). In evaluating a dog's bite, it is important examine all the teeth. Malpositioned teeth may be the result of teething problems and are not necessarily genetic in origin. On the other hand, evaluation of all the teeth may reveal that the bony structure supporting the teeth is abnormal, which is indeed hereditary. As many of these conditions may have a hereditary background, genetic counseling is always offered; it is often recommended that the animal be rendered incapable of reproduction. Corrective orthodontic treatment is restricted to conditions that obviously cause pain and discomfort to the pet. Both fixed and removable appliances, similar to those used in humans, have been used in animals with good results.

Awareness of dental disease can contribute to early recognition and prevention of problems, in particular periodontal disease. This is important as periodontal disease has a serious impact on your pet's health and well-being. Great advances have been made in the field of veterinary dentistry and a wide spectrum of dental therapeutic options is now available.

Go to the Dental Care Q & A >>