Download Oravet and Dental Health - Delphos Animal Hospital

I recently had a veterinary visit with a very nice gentleman, named John,
and his beloved four pound Chihuahua mix dog, “Buster.” John and Buster have been
coming to see me for several years, and on repeated occasions I had advised John that
Buster needed to have his teeth cleaned. While John dearly loves Buster, he still had not
taken my advice regarding the dental cleaning---that is until his most recent visit.
Why did John finally accept my recommendation for Buster’s dental
cleaning? John himself brought Buster’s oral concerns to my attention before I even had
the opportunity to re-visit the subject. John shared with me that since I had seen him last
he himself had been in the hospital. John had had open heart surgery. John also told me
that he had quit smoking, due to his own health concerns, and now his sense of smell was
greatly heightened. John’s ability to smell had so improved since he had stopped
smoking, that his much-loved Buster’s bad breath had become repulsive to him.
We promptly scheduled a return visit for Buster to have his teeth cleaned
with a general anesthetic. I also dispensed oral antibiotics for Buster to be medicated
before and after his dental cleaning, as I knew that Buster’s mouth was chock full of
bacteria. Unfortunately, for animals as well as people, oral bacteria like to find their way
into the patient’s bloodstream and then to a variety of critical sites. These sites include
the liver, kidneys and heart valves. I certainly did not want to be a party to Buster falling
victim to cardiac disease in light of John’s most recent surgery.
When Buster arrived with John and his wife for the dental cleaning, we
reviewed my recommendations for blood testing Buster prior to anesthetizing him to
insure that his kidneys and liver were healthy. I needed to be certain Buster’s organs
would be able to metabolize the anesthetics I would be administering to him that day.
Gratefully, Buster passed his pre-anesthetic screening with flying colors. I now knew that
Buster’s anesthetic risk was minimal and I could feel more confident putting him under
anesthesia. Buster was first given intravenous drugs then placed on gas anesthesia for his
cleaning.
As soon as Buster was asleep, I was able to more thoroughly examine his
mouth. I was confronted with a very foul odor, several loose and abscessed teeth, and
heavy plaque and calculus build-up. Odd as it may sound, I actually enjoy approaching a
mouth such as Buster’s, because it is one of the times in my job when I can truly make a
difference in my patients’ health and well-being. I know that when I am done cleaning a
mouth like Buster’s, he will almost immediately feel 100% better due to the removal of
constant bacterial contamination of his bloodstream and the painfully abscessed teeth.
Buster had eight incisors and one molar extracted followed by a complete
above and below the gumline, ultrasonic dental cleaning. His mouth was flushed with
disinfectant solution, then his teeth were polished to remove the microscopic nicks on his
enamel surfaces where plaque would rebuild. Buster also received a fluoride treatment.
The final step in Buster’s dental care was to provide longterm protection
for his teeth by application of a new veterinary product called OraVet Barrier Sealant.
This treatment is the same as that which has been applied to pediatric teeth for several
years. The sealant is a non-toxic, safe and invisible barrier that has been clinically proven
to prevent plaque- and tartar-forming bacteria from attaching to the teeth.
Buster’s anesthetic recovery was rapid and uneventful. He was reunited
with his owners at the end of the day, very much awake, alert and walking. We
instructed Buster’s owners on proper aftercare for dental patients which includes
providing appropriate chew toys, a tartar control diet and frequent dental wiping or
toothbrushing. In Buster’s case, dental wiping might be easier as his mouth and teeth are
quite small.
Buster’s owners also purchased the OraVet Plaque Prevention Gel Home
Care Kit. Once weekly beginning two weeks after Buster’s dental cleaning and
indefinitely, John or his wife will paint Buster’s teeth with a gel that will continue the
barrier sealant effect. Buster should be on the road to much better and longlasting dental
health now.
I was delighted to be an important part in returning Buster’s oral and
overall health to a better plane. With a little dedication on his owners’ part to
maintaining Buster’s oral health with OraVet Gel Home Care treatments and dental
wiping, Buster may never experience kidney, liver or heart disease secondary to oral
bacteria.
Most importantly, I felt good knowing that Buster’s owner, John, was on
his own road to better cardiovascular health after his surgery and smoking cessation. Both
John and Buster have been given new leases on life.