DENTAL CARE FOR YOUR PET

Does your pet have healthy teeth?

Imagine if we never cleaned our own teeth.

Because pets can not care for their teeth the way we do, they rely on us to do that for them. Fortunately most dental problems can be prevented or if they develop problems, can be treated by veterinarians and veterinary nurses.

What causes dental disease in our pets?

Plaque forms when bacteria, food particles and salivary minerals build up on the teeth. Plaque calcifies to tartar on the teeth and under the gum line and causes gum disease or gingivitis. Plaque forms because our pet's domestic diet does not adequately clean their teeth. Left untreated tartar will cause gingivitis, bad breath, tooth and jawbone infection, dental abscesses and tooth loss. Severe dental disease can also cause heart and kidney disease. Dogs may also break teeth chewing on hard objects such as bones, sticks and rocks. These fractured teeth are painful and may lead to a tooth root infection.

What are the signs of tooth and gum disease?

	Bad Breath
	Red Swollen Gums or Gingivitis
	Tartar on the Teeth
	Excessive Dribbling
	Difficulty Eating
	Pawing or Rubbing at the Mouth

What can I do to prevent dental disease?

Just as we brush our teeth to prevent dental disease, we need to be aware of how we can prevent dental disease in our pets.

	Take a Look: Check your pets mouth regularly, look primarily at the gum-tooth margin, checking for the signs outlined above. Our vets will check your pet's mouth as part of any check-up. If you have any concerns then get us to check your pets mouth for you.
	Brushing: Did you know you can brush your pets teeth ? This is especially important for pets that are not big chewers such as small dogs and cats. All you need is a special finger brush. Don't use your own toothpaste as human toothpaste contains foaming agents and fluoride, there are special flavoured pastes for pets.
	Raw Bones: Feed fresh raw bones. For large dogs use large marrow and knuckle bones and discard the bone once your dog has chewed the knuckles off. Small dogs may find raw chicken wings, small rib bones and flaps easier to chew. Raw carrot sticks are also a great teeth cleaner. For cats, feed raw chicken wings and necks, lightly grilling or warming them may make them more tempting. Raw strips of beef can also help clean teeth as can raw frozen fish cubes.
	Special Foods: Hill's Prescription Diet TD is a specially designed dietary food that helps reduce the accumulation of plaque on teeth and promote dental health in pets with preexisting dental disease. Hill's Oral Care helps keep teeth clean in pets with little or no dental tartar or in pets predisposed to tooth disease. C.T enzymatic hide chews have special enzymes in the chew that help clean teeth. Keeping the hair trimmed short of the upper lip line of hairy faced dogs also reduces tartar build up

Some pets, despite our best efforts to help keep their teeth clean, will still require regular teeth cleaning just like some people do.

What happens if my pet requires dental attention?

Dental treatment begins with anaesthesia - dogs and cats simply do not lie still with their mouths open. For further information on anaesthesia just ask for our sheet - "What actually happens when my pet has an anaesthetic?" Many of our vets and nurses have attended specific dental care workshops in our own clinics with Veterinary Dental Specialist Dr. Gary Wilson so that we can provide excellent dental care for your pet.

	Teamwork: Dental care requires 2 people to be involved in your pet's procedure, a vet as anaesthetist and a second to carry out the dental work.
	Charting: Firstly your pets teeth are charted. This means that all findings such as normal, missing and damaged teeth, gingivitis and tartar levels are recorded on a chart prepared especially for your pet and kept as part of it's records.
	Scaling: Teeth are then handscaled both beneath and under the gum line. The teeth are then ultrasonically scaled and then polished. The handpieces that we use are the same as you would find in a human dental surgery. This procedure is known as a dental prophy.
	Pain Relief: When we need to extract teeth we provide pain relief in the form of local anaesthetic nerve blocks and injectable and postoperative medication.
	Mouth Flush: Your pet's mouth is then rinsed and Healthy Breath Gel is applied to the teeth and gums to give your pet a fresh smelling mouth.
	Fresh Breath Club: We can advise on a dental care program and schedule a 2 month post-prophy check to check on oral hygiene and your pet can join our club!

Pets rely on us for their ongoing dental care - afterall, if we had our own teeth cleaned and then never brushed again ................................ !

RETURN TO ANIMAL HEALTH WATCH