Dental Care

Your pet’s dental health is extremely important! Veterinary dental care is about more than just preventing “doggy breath” – regular dental care can help prevent serious diseases and infections. Routine dental cleanings are a vital part of your pet’s preventive health care plan.

Your pet has access to the latest veterinary dental technology at our hospital. We use digital dental x-ray equipment in order to better diagnose dental conditions. There are actually about a dozen steps to a veterinary dental visit. We will discuss many of them here.

Why Dental Care Is Important
Plaque and tartar build-up on your pet’s teeth can lead to gingivitis. Reddened, bleeding gums, difficulty chewing and bad breath are all signs of gingivitis. Gingivitis can cause periodontal disease, a bacterial infection that, if left untreated, can potentially damage your pet’s kidneys, heart, and other organs. Regular dental cleanings remove plaque and tartar and prevent gingivitis and periodontal disease.

Dental problems may cause your pet to suffer from:

• Prolonged pain
• Tooth loss
• Chronic infections
• Lowered resistance
• Possible heart, liver and kidney disease

Look for:

• Bad breath
• Drooling
• Yellow or brown discolorations on teeth
• Decreased appetite

We can provide complete and thorough dental cleaning in many pets with NO ANESTHESIA! Ask us about this special service for your pet.

Progressive Nature of Periodontal Disease

	Early Periodontal disease: Inflamed gumline — red, swollen and sometimes tender.Plaque is barely visible, but it is already present.
	Extensive plaque formation with tartar build-up. Inflamed gumline. Mouth is proabably sore with occasional drooling. Beginning of mouth odor.
	Thick tartar formation (creamy-brown hard masses on the teeth). Inflamed and partially receding gums. Periodontal disease well under way below the gumline. Mouth is sore and bad breath is present.
	Severe tartar formation. Inflamed and receding gumline is very sensitive. Advanced periodontal disease is present with infection, bleeding, tooth and bone loss.