Pet Medical Library

Dental

Maintaining the health of your pet's teeth is the most important thing that you can do to increase the comfort and length of your pet's life.

Care and treatment of your pet’s teeth and gums are extremely important for overall health. Your pet’s teeth should be cleaned, scaled, and polished as needed to maintain dental health. This procedure will be recommended regularly throughout your pet’s lifetime to help assure he/she keeps their teeth for as long as possible, to control breath odor, and to help prevent liver, kidney, or heart disease from developing.

Pet Dental Care Is Important Because:

1. Pets with gingivitis are physically uncomfortable.
2. Gum and tooth disease lead to endocarditis (heart valve infection), kidney and other organ infections.
3. You will enjoy your pet more when they don't have halitosis (bad breath).
4. Your pet's health care expense in later years is greatly reduced by regular dental cleaning and preventive care at home.

 

Grade 1 Dental Disease. This is the accumulation of tartar without gingival redness and therefore, no periodontal disease yet. Your pet needs a dental cleaning to remove the tartar accumulation and help prevent periodontal disease from occurring. Radiographs (x-rays) are highly recommended to detect potential disease under the gum-line for early treatment.

Grade 2 Dental Disease. This is tartar with gingival redness (periodontal disease). This is reported to be present in 85% of all animals in the United States over 3 years of age. Your pet needs a dental cleaning, radiographs (x-rays), possible extractions or specific treatment for periodontal disease after cleaning. This may involve antibiotics injectably, orally, or implanted underneath gums. Home health care products and a dental vaccine (Porphyramonas) can also help prevent reoccurrence. With Grade 2, extractions are possible. A dental cleaning is recommended at least every 6-12 months for your pet’s lifetime.

Grade 3 Dental Disease. This is tartar with gingival redness and bleeding, recession of gums, and root exposure. Often, severe periodontal disease will lead to pain, dental abscesses, tooth loss and even bone loss from the jaw. A dental cleaning with radiographs is needed with antibiotics following the procedure, and oral surgery for extractions. A dental cleaning is highly recommended at least every 6-12 months of your pet's lifetime.

        Cat Teeth                                    Dog Teeth