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The Importance of Dental Care
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| Newtown Veterinary
Hospital is devoted to providing the best quality of medicine to our
patients and educating our clients. Dentistry has become an extremely
important part of veterinary medicine. For many years this was an area
that was under-served. Our pets are living longer now than in the past.
Today, we have better preventative medicine and better ways to diagnose
and treat many diseases. More and more we are seeing animals whose most
severe medical problem is dental disease.
Oral disease is now the
number one health problem diagnosed in pets! We know that there is a
link between periodontal disease and heart, kidney and liver disease. To
prevent oral disease it is essential to provide our pets with good
dental care, both professionally and at home. Your pet may be trying to
let you know there is a problem without you even realizing. |
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| At Newtown Veterinary Hospital we have the latest
technology and equipment to offer your pet quality dental care. General
anesthesia and pre-surgical blood work are required for this procedure. |
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A dental cleaning consists of:
- Ultrasonic scaling to remove the plaque and
tartar from the teeth above and below the gum line.
- High powered water flushing and dental rinses
are used to remove bacteria from the mouth.
- High speed polishing is done after scaling to
smooth the surface of the teeth.
- Digital dental radiographs are taken to examine
the roots of the teeth and the bone around the roots. This is a very
important tool in determining if extractions are necessary. If
extractions are necessary, these are done with high-speed drill and
well maintained, sterile dental equipment. After extractions gums are closed using absorbable
suture
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Maintaining the
health of your pet's teeth is one of the most important things, that as
an owner, you can do to increase the comfort and length of your pet's
life.
The care and treatment of your pet's teeth and gums is
extremely important. Your pet's teeth should be cleaned/scaled and
polished starting early in life to prevent future problems. By keeping
up on the health of your pet's teeth you help control breath odor (bad
breath = infection) and
can help prevent some types of liver, kidney and heart disease from developing. By
starting early you may prevent pain, infection and future tooth loss. |
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| Grade 1 Dental:
is the accumulation of tartar without gingival redness and therefore, no
periodontal disease. Your pet needs a dental cleaning to remove the
tartar accumulation and help prevent periodontal disease from
developing. |
| Grade 2 Dental:
is tartar with gingival redness (gingivitis with possible periodontal disease). This is reported
to be present in 85% of all animals in the United States over 6 years of
age. Your pet needs a dental cleaning and possibly antibiotics following
or before the cleaning. We may also need to take dental radiographs to
determine the extent of periodontal disease. |
| Grade 3 Dental:
is severe tartar with severe periodontal disease, gum recession and bone
loss. At
this stage there are almost always extractions. Dental radiographs are
necessary to determine the severity of decay and determine whether or
not the tooth can be saved. Saving a grade 3 tooth may require referral
to a dental specialist and DAILY home care. |
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Importance of Dental Care |
| The cause of periodontal disease (gum
disease) is the same in dogs and cats as it is in humans. It is an
infection resulting from the build-up of soft dental plaque on the
surfaces of the teeth around the gums. The bacterium in plaque irritates
the gum tissue; if that plaque is allowed to accumulate, it leads to
infection in the bone surrounding the teeth.
Your pet may be letting you know that they are headed in this direction.
There are certain warning signs you can watch for:
- Halitosis, bad breath, is the most
common effect noted by owners.
- The gums become irritated, leading to bleeding
and oral pain. Your animal may lose his/her appetite or drop food
from their mouth while eating or you may notice blood while brushing
or blood on their chew toys. They might even stop playing with their
chew toys altogether.
- Excessive drooling and/or pawing at the
face/mouth.
- Swelling under the eyes-this may indicate a
tooth root abscess.
As a pet owner you can help
prevent periodontal disease in your animal.
- Oral exams by your veterinarian at least once
each year. A thorough exam can identify potential problems
such as fractured or abscessed teeth and periodontal disease.
- Chew Toys. Our pet's teeth are much
more sensitive than humans and have 50% less enamel coverage. Kong
toys, Greenies or Pedigree dentabones or CET Hexxtra Chews that soften as the dog chews
are good options.
- Brushing your pet's teeth at least 3 times
weekly. Bacteria and food particles combine to form plaque. If plaque is not
removed, mineral in the saliva combine with the plaque and from
calculus, also known as tartar, which adheres strongly to the teeth.
The tartar is irritating to the gums and causes an inflammation
called gingivitis. Using a soft bristled toothbrush
and paste
formulated for animals is important. Human toothpaste contains
fluoride that can be unsafe for our animals to ingest and human
toothpaste can upset your pet's stomach if swallowed.
- Feeding a hard/dry diet.
Dry food, biscuits and newly-formulated abrasive diets can be
beneficial in removing plaque above the gum line. Discussing
nutrition with your veterinarian can help decide which food is best
for your pet.
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importance of dental.pdf
dental FAQs.pdf
toby's dental.pdf
dentals&anesthesia.pdf |
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Products that we recommend
(all to be used under owner supervision) |
C.E.T. Dental Rewards
C.E.T. Hextra Chews for Dogs
C.E.T. Oral Hygeine Chews for Cats
C.E.T. Enzymatic Toothpastes |
C.E.T. Toothbrushes
Greenies for Dogs
Greenies for Cats
Hill's Prescription Diet T/D |
www.greenies.com
www.cetdental.com
www.hillspet.com
(T/Dformula)last edited
03/10/2010 |
