Dental disease is the most common condition of dogs and cats? Over the age of 3, most pets have some evidence of periodontal disease. This can include bad breath, plaque, tarter, broken or mobile teeth, and gingivitis (inflammation of the gums). To help maintain a healthy mouth our cats and dogs need a dental cleaning and oral health assessment almost every year!
Just like with people, good oral health care helps our pets live longer, more comfortable lives. Regular dental cleanings can help reduce the number of teeth lost to periodontal disease. In general practice, if a tooth is badly diseased and painful, it needs to be extracted. A general anaesthetic is required to properly clean and assess teeth under the gum line (where it matters most!). We perform pre-anaesthetic blood tests to ensure your pet is healthy for the dentistry and place your pet on intravenous fluids for the procedure. A follow up appointment will be booked to ensure all extraction sites healed well and to discuss how to best care for your pet’s oral health at home. For complicated dental issues that require specialized tools and techniques, we would refer your pet to our local board certified pet dentist.
Annual wellness exams and routine dental care allows us to identify and address problems early. Do you have more questions about dental care? Let’s talk about it next time you’re in the clinic for a wellness exam!