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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 overlooked. 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. Now we are seeing more animals whose most
severe medical problems are dental disease.
Oral disease is now the
number one health problem diagnosed in pets! It is essential to provide
our pets with sufficient dental care, both professionally and at the
home. In our geriatric pets, there has been some link from bacteria in
the mouth to heart disease, 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 letting you know there is a
problem without you even knowing it. |
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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 watered powered flushing and dental rinses
are used to remove bacteria from the mouth.
- High powered polishing is done after scaling to
smooth the surface of the teeth.
- Fluoride treatment is placed to strengthen the
teeth and help decrease the rate of plaque reattachment.
- Digital dental radiographs are take to examine
the teeth below the gum line. This tool will help determine if
extractions are necessary by showing the roots of the teeth. If
extractions are necessary, these are done with high-speed drill and
dental equipment. Post extracted 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
upon the health of your pet's teeth you help control breath odor and
help prevent liver, kidney and heart disease from developing. By
starting early you can help prevent future extractions by catching
problem teeth early. |
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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 occurring. |
| Grade 2 Dental:
is tartar with gingival redness (periodontal disease). This is reported
to be present in 85% of all animals in the United States over 6years 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 if extractions are necessary. |
| Grade 3 Dental:
is severe tartar with severe periodontal disease and gum recession. 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. |
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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.
- 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 annual
visits. 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 that soften as the dog chews
are good options.
- Brushing your pet's teeth.
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 toothbrush/paste
formulated for animals should be used. Human toothpaste contains
fluoride that is unsafe for our animals to digest.
- 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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Outs/importance of dental.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
06/20/2008 |
