Pet Dentistry
Dental health care is important for your pet because oral pain often goes undiagnosed. 85% of dogs are affected by periodontal disease by the age of 3. Pets will show little to no signs of their pain until the dental disease is so severe that the teeth may be rotting and a major infection has set in. Dental infection can lead to infection elsewhere in the body if not treated and can affect the liver, kidney and heart.
When your pet comes in for its dental procedure, we initially chart the grade of the tartar (scale of 1-4) in your pet’s mouth. Next, we account for all of the teeth that are present and/or missing. We then scale the teeth to remove plaque and probe the gum line to find deep pockets and gum recession. If we suspect that something is going on with the tooth or suspect bone loss, we take dental x-rays to confirm what the underlying problem may be. If it is necessary, we will extract teeth associated with the problem. Depending on the condition of the tooth, we may bond and seal the tooth after it has been repaired. At the end of the procedure, we polish the teeth just as a dentist polishes our teeth to help protect them from any bacteria or infection from the scaling (cleaning) of the teeth.
