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Most people don’t realize pet
dental care is very important for
the health of their pet.
Pets are not brushing or flossing
on a daily basis,
so it’s up to us to take care of
their dental needs.
Routine wellness exams is when the veterinary
care team will check the mouth and teeth.
We are looking for or taking note on:
 tarter build up
 broken teeth
 Cavities
 missing teeth
 signs of infection
 gingival disease
 abnormal growths or masses
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Most cats and dogs by the age of 2 have some tarter build up.
Tarter build up can lead to bad breath and redness of the gums.
If left untreated bacteria can build up in the mouth and go into the blood stream.
An overflow of bacteria in the blood stream can cause heart issues along with kidney and liver problems.
If the tarter buildup gets too bad the bacteria can start eating away the enamel and cause cavities to occur.
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Your pet can also act like it doesn’t feel well, become lethargic,
and have bleeding from the gums and stop eating.
So let’s look at what your pet’s teeth should look like.
Healthy mouth of a dog.
Healthy mouth of a cat.
Stage 1 Periodontal Disease
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Small amount of tarter
on the teeth
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Gums look slightly red
but are healthy looking.
Stage 2 Periodontal Disease
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Noticeable amount of tarter
Gums are red and inflamed at the gum line
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“doggie breath”.
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“Side chewing”
Picking food up only to drop it out of the
mouth
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To quickly reverse the damage a dental
intervention is needed
Stage 3 Periodontal Disease
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Significant amount of tarter pushing up the gum line
Gums have started to recede, bleed, very inflamed and infected
Pets usually start to show signs of pain and discomfort
Dental intervention is necessary to save the gums and any teeth
Stage 4
Periodontal Disease
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Significant loss of gum line
Pus oozing out of the gums
Bone loss
Dropping food out of mouth
Drooling
Appetite loss
Stage 4
Periodontal Disease
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Bacteria will gone into the blood
stream, affecting the heart, liver,
and kidneys.
There is a good chance that some
teeth will have to be removed due
to the destruction of bone and
gum.
Other dental issues we see can be due to
chewing on marrow bones, rocks, sticks, and
hard toys.
Overgrowth of gums can cause issues too.
Food, hair, and bacteria can get stuck up under
the gums leading to infection and tooth loss.
This is resolved by removing the overgrowth
either by cutting away or cauterizing the
tissue.
Masses in the mouth should be
examined. Melanoma can occur in the
mouth. If left untreated it can spread
to other organs.
The Smile Facts!
Now that we know what we
are looking for, let’s talk about
how we address and treat
routine and non-routine
dental care.
The first step is for a veterinarian to examine your pet’s mouth to help
identify areas of concern. An oral exam in the room may not show all of the
potential damage to the teeth if there is tarter present. Unlike people, our
pets don’t always “open up and say, ahh”. The veterinary team will provide
an estimate for your pet’s dental procedure based upon the doctor’s exam;
including any potential extractions. If an infection is present we will have you
start
So what happens during a dental procedure?
On the day of the dental, pre-surgical blood work will be run to make
sure there aren’t any problems with the kidneys and liver which are the
organs that help metabolize (or process) the anesthesia.
An IV catheter will be placed prior to anesthesia, and fluids will be given
during the whole procedure.
The pet is then anesthetized, intubated with a tube, and placed on a
combination of oxygen and isoflurane gas. Our professional staff not
only utilizes state of the art monitoring, which measures heart rate,
oxygen levels, blood pressure, and body temperature, but are personally
monitoring your pet every step of the procedure. All of this information
is then recorded and put into the patient’s record.
The dental procedure starts with a photo of your pet’s teeth before
cleaning. An after photo will be taken for comparison. The doctor
then performs an ultrasonic cleaning to scale the tarter off, including
up under the gum line.
Ultrasonic Cleaning
Once all the tarter is removed we can then see
any damage present on the enamel or gums.
It also allows us to carefully inspect the mouth
for any potentially hidden concerns, such as
masses, broken teeth, etc.
We do our best to salvage teeth when
possible, but sometimes extraction is
necessary, particularly if there is irreversible
damage due to nerve or root exposure.
Polishing
The teeth are then polished and the mouth is rinsed out.
An after photo is taken.
The pet is then removed from gas anesthesia
and allowed to breathe oxygen for a few
minutes. Once the pet is able to swallow on its
own the tube is removed from its mouth and
the animal is placed in a recovery kennel
where our technicians carefully monitor until
fully awake.
Before and After…
Here is a patient of ours that came in a month ago for a routine dental.
She would be classified as a stage 2 dental.
As you can see in her after photo,
the teeth cleaned up well and no extractions were needed.
This photo shows a Pomeranian with stage 4
dental disease. He had already lost several
teeth on his upper gum.
Unfortunately he needed all his teeth removed
except the lower canine due to severe gum
and bone loss and infection.
Brushing at home starts with getting the pet
used to you putting your finger and/or a brush
in their mouth. Rubbing the teeth and gums
gets them used to the sensation. After a few
weeks of playing around you can then start
with pet tooth paste. You cannot use human
toothpaste in pets because it’s toxic to them.
Once you are comfortable with the
process we recommend brushing at
least twice a week. There are also
mouth rinses available to help deter
growth of plaque and bacteria. These
are usually added to their drinking
water.
As you can see, veterinary dentistry is
significantly different than when you or I go to
the dentist. Our cats and dogs may have
similar anatomy to our own tooth structure,
but they require special consideration since
they must be anesthetized for proper cleaning
and preventive care. As much as we
recommend and promote daily tooth brushing
for our pets, home care can be challenging for
some and this is why routine wellness
examinations and dental services are so
important for the long-term health of your pet.
Thank you for joining us tonight!
Any more questions or concerns please
reach out to us:
Taylor Brook Animal Hospital
207-784-1726
[email protected]
www.taylorbrookanimalhospital.com
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