Celebrate Pet Dental Health in February!

Does your pet have “DOGGY BREATH” OR “FISH BREATH”?  These odors may be signs of periodontal disease, which is the most common ailment suffered by our pets over 3 years of age.  Prevention of periodontal disease will result in longer, healthier lives for our pets.

Dental health is enormously important to the health of our patients - dental infections are painful, and may spread to internal organs such as the heart and kidneys. 

Dental prophylaxis and extractions are performed under general anesthesia. Once your pet is under anesthesia your veterinarian will perform a full oral exam.  Any loose, broken, or missing teeth are noted in the chart along with any oral tumors or lesions.  The gums around the teeth are inspected and any problems are noted.  A routine dental cleaning includes scaling all the tartar and plaque from the teeth, and then polishing them.  If needed, the doctor then performs any necessary extractions for teeth that are loose, broken, or causing problems.

Having a dental cleaning performed will make your pet healthier and feel better and you don't have to smell their stinky breath!!

Ask our doctors or staff for additional dental health information!!

 Some of the signs of dental disease that you could look out for:

• Halitosis (bad breath)
• Reluctance to chew / crying out when chewing
• Increased salivation
• Red and/or puffy gums
• Bleeding gums
• Tartar / Calculus (hard coating on teeth that is usually brown or yellow; results from plaque build-up)
• Missing and/or loose teeth
• Anything else about the mouth that appears unusual

There are several options for preventing dental disease:

• Prescription tooth diets
• Tooth brushing daily with enzymatic tooth paste
• Dental chews and toys
• Large raw bones