Good oral health, which also affects overall health and particularly heart, kidneys, and liver health, is vital for dogs and cats. Yet, pet owners often overlook their pet’s dental care. To ensure your furry pal enjoys a lifetime of healthy smiles, you must learn how dental disease develops, its appearance, and how you can prevent the disease from taking over your pet’s mouth.
How does dental disease develop in pets?
Dental disease is one of the most common conditions that veterinarians diagnose—up to 90% of all pets exhibit at least one disease sign by age 2. Right after your pet eats a treat or meal, sticky plaque begins adhering to their teeth and then hardens into cement-like tartar over the next few days. The bacteria in the plaque and tartar eventually invade the subgingival space below the gumline, destroy the supporting tooth structures, and leach into the bloodstream.
As the oral bacteria infiltrate your pet’s entire body, they often attach to heart valves and lurk in other major organs, causing serious, widespread disease. So, dental disease not only causes foul breath but also organ dysfunction, which makes prevention through regular at-home and veterinary care critical for your pet’s good health.
What does dental disease look like in pets?
Dental disease seems to sneak up on pet owners. One minute, you’re enjoying a snuggle with your furry pal, and the next, you’re horrified by the odor wafting from their mouth. But, by checking your pet’s mouth regularly—ideally when you brush their teeth every day—you can spot early dental disease signs.
Dental disease in pets causes:
- Bad breath
- Yellow, grey, or brown plaque and tartar accumulation
- Red, inflamed, or bleeding gums
- Loose, missing, stained, or worn teeth
- Excessive drooling
- Reluctance to chew or eat
- Dropping food while eating
- One-sided chewing
Pets are incredibly skilled at hiding pain, illness, or injury signs, so you may not notice dental disease until the condition has become advanced. Therefore, because of your furry pal’s innate nature to hide their health problems, you must make a point of regularly examining their mouth.
What happens during a pet’s veterinary dental cleaning?
Routine wellness care for your pet includes oral exams, but the best way to gain a full picture of their oral health involves anesthesia and full-mouth dental X-rays. Many awake pets will resist a comprehensive oral exam, especially if they have painful periodontal problems, so they need anesthesia for their comfort and safety.
Once your pet is safely anesthetized, we will probe around each tooth, checking for infection pockets and looking for abnormalities above the gumline, such as gum recession, tooth fractures, or oral masses. We will also take dental X-rays to give us information about the health of the supporting structures below the gumline, so we’ll have a full picture of your pet’s oral health before we proceed with cleaning and any necessary treatment.
To clean your pet’s teeth, we remove all traces of plaque and tartar with handheld and ultrasonic scaling tools. Once the teeth are clean, we polish the enamel smooth, apply a fluoride treatment, and extract diseased or damaged teeth, if necessary.
How can you care for your pet’s oral health at home?
Ideally, you should establish a consistent at-home dental care routine as soon as you welcome a new pet into your family. Brushing your pet’s teeth is the gold standard for preventing dental disease, and can be implemented from puppy- or kittenhood. Use a pet-friendly toothbrush and fluoride-free toothpaste, and gradually introduce the process to ensure a positive experience. Add dental chews, treats, and food and water additives to further improve your pet’s at-home oral routine, or use wipes designed to promote oral health.
Dental health products bearing the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) seal of acceptance have been proven to effectively slow plaque and tartar accumulation. So, when choosing your pet’s treats, chews, and other oral health aids, look for the VOHC seal to ensure you are buying an effective product.
Dental disease can take a substantial toll on your pet’s health and well being. Stay on top of their oral health care by scheduling regular exams and dental cleanings with our team at The Old 41 Animal Hospital.
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