Pet Dental Health
Keeping your pet’s teeth clean and healthy is an important part of
their overall wellness. Many pets, especially small dogs and cats,
suffer in silence from poor dental health. Think about it - we brush
our teeth multiple times daily, while very few dogs or cats' teeth are
brushed regularly (we will discuss tips on this later!). Can you
imagine how much tartar would build up if we didn’t brush our teeth
for a week or even a month? Many dogs and cats go without regular
dental hygiene for YEARS. Yuck!
As your pet’s teeth build up tartar, bacteria is also accumulating.
Infection can penetrate into the gums and into the bloodstream, and
can even be life threatening. Abscesses can form on the tooth root
that can go unnoticed. Severe decay and rotting teeth are extremely
common. If you have ever had a toothache, you know that these dental
ailments can be incredibly painful!! Many owners don’t realize how
much their dog is suffering in silence, until their diseased teeth are
removed and the infection is treated. The most frequent comment I hear
from owners after we perform a long-needed dental procedure is “Wow!
It’s like I have a new dog!.”
So how do we fix these dental issues? Your veterinarian can perform a
dental evaluation and cleaning under general anesthesia. Under
anesthesia, the veterinarian can adequately assess the health of all
the tissues of the mouth, as well as look for any cavities, gum
disease, or other abnormalities. Dental radiographs (x-rays) will also
be taken. The veterinarian will then decide if there are any teeth
that need to be removed (extractions). Once these teeth are removed,
the gums will be sutured, then the vet will clean the teeth with an
ultrasonic scaler to remove the tartar buildup and polish the teeth.
The pet will then be woken up from anesthesia with a clean, healthy
and happy mouth. Oftentimes, the pet may be sent home with pain
medication or antibiotics.
Frequently Asked Questions:
“How can my dog eat if you pull out so many teeth?”. Dogs and cats are
actually very good at eating without teeth. They are able to use the
hardened surface of their gums where the teeth were removed, but very
often most dogs don’t really chew their food very well anyways. Of
course, softening their food is sometimes helpful, but not always
necessary!
“Does my dog have to be put under general anesthesia? Isn’t this
risky?” - While there is always a small risk to anesthesia (just like
in humans), veterinarians perform these procedures daily and the risk
is very low. Your vet will perform pre-surgical bloodwork and perform
a full physical exam first to ensure that your pet is healthy enough
to be put under anesthesia. Anesthesia is required to perform a full
comprehensive dental exam, as well as to perform any extractions and
cleaning of tartar.
“Can my dog get a non-anesthetic dental cleaning?” - Non-anesthetic
dental cleanings are not recommended by veterinarians for a few
reasons. First, most non-anesthetic dentals are not performed by
veterinarians, which can be risky for the pet if the pet develops any
medical problems during the procedure such as difficulty breathing,
bleeding, or severe anxiety. Second, with an awake pet, it is
impossible to evaluate the structures of the teeth that are under the
gumline. So while the teeth may appear to be clean, the important
structures underneath the gums have not been evaluated for decay or
infection. Lastly, in the state of California, non-anesthetic dentals
performed by non-veterinarians are considered to be practicing
veterinary medicine without a license and are actually illegal.
So now that we covered the importance of anesthetic dental cleanings,
how can I keep my pet’s teeth healthy in between procedures? The
number one way to keep your dog or cat’s teeth shiny and clean is with
daily brushing. Of course, most pets will not tolerate this and may
need a lot of patience and training. First, allow your pet to get used
to you touching their teeth with just your finger. Place a small
amount of tasty pet toothpaste (do NOT use human toothpaste as it can
contain toxic sweeteners that can be deadly to dogs) on your finger
and allow the dog to lick it off. Next, try rubbing the toothpaste
onto their teeth. Do this every day until they are completely
comfortable. Slowly work up to using your finger to “brush” all of
their teeth, then you can move on to the toothbrush itself. This whole
process can take weeks to even months, but any brushing that you
accomplish is definitely better than nothing! Other suggestions to
help with tartar accumulation include dental treats and water
additives that help break down plaque. Follow these tips to keep your
pet’s dental health in tip top shape!