“Did you brush your teeth?” As much as you would love to, that’s probably not a question you can ask your pets.
85 percent of all pets have a periodontal disease by the time they are three-years-old and when you take this statistic into consideration, it is apparent why your pet’s oral hygiene is important.
To elaborate, neglecting your pet’s dental health can cause diseases that have mild to severe, negative long-term effects:
- Chronic Bad Breath
- Tooth decay
- Gingivitis
- Transferrable bacteria that leads to the kidney, liver, and heart (which can lead to heart disease and oral damage)
- Feline stomatitis
- Oral cancer
- Tooth resorption
We also provide pet dental exams as well.
Signs of Dental Problems
In order to prevent the development of dental diseases, it is imperative to recognize the signs and take an active role in maintaining your pet’s oral health. Signs that your pet may be at risk for or have a dental disease includes:
- Bad breath
- Facial swellings
- Draining wounds
- Sneezing
- Bleeding or discharge from the mouth or nose
- Dropping food or chewing only on one side of the mouth
- Pawing at the mouth
- Tooth grinding
- Discolored teeth
- Teeth covered in tarter
- Bleeding from the mouth
What to expect from your pet’s dental cleaning
When you visit our vets for your professional dental cleaning, you can expect a process that aims at targeting periodontal diseases.
There are four stages of periodontal disease:
- Healthy gums
- Gingivitis
- Mild Periodontal Disease
- Advanced Periodontal Disease
The more the diseases progresses, the less reversible it becomes.
As such, we conduct extensive and thorough cleaning in the best interest of your pet’s health, both in a preventative and reactive manner.
Our general pet dental cleaning process includes:
- The removal of plaque and tartar
- Removal of dental deposits
- Scaling
- Teeth are polished to remove residual plaque and maintain a smooth tooth surface
- Rinse to refresh
- Final inspection
- Plaque-preventative measures to maintain cleanliness
Our vet will assess your pet’s individual need and advise on steps you and your family can take to facilitate your pet’s oral health.
