It’s something you do every morning, part of your daily routine—brush your teeth. While most people take care of their own mouths, they often forget that they also should take care of their pet’s teeth through a regular dental health care regimen.
Veterinary medical dental care is an essential component of preventative healthcare plan. Quality dental care is necessary to provide optimum health and quality of life. Diseases of the oral cavity are painful and can contribute to other local or systemic disease. If untreated dental infection can spread to the heart, kidneys and other organs, and suddenly become life threatening.
While regular dental checkups are essential to help maintain your pet’s dental health, there are a number of signs that dental disease has already started.
- Red swollen gums and brownish teeth.
- Bad breath—Most pets have breath that is less than fresh, but if it becomes truly repugnant, similar to the smell of a rotten egg, it’s a sign that periodontal disease has already started.
- Bleeding from the mouth.
- Requent pawing or rubbing at the face and/or mouth.
- Reluctance to eat hard foods—for example, picking it up and then spitting it out.
If you notice any of the symptoms above, call and make an appointment with us immediately.
Questions about Dog and Cat Dental Care Answered:
How important are regular dog and cat dental cleanings?
Pets should have their teeth professionally cleaned once a year to control tarter buildup. It is not uncommon that some pets need their teeth cleaned every 6 months. Tarter draws in bacteria and pushes the gums away from the teeth. This will cause inflammation and damage to your pet’s teeth, gums, jawbone and even enter to bloodstream to wreak havoc on internal organs. Tarter can only be removed professionally-no amount of brushing can get rid of it.
Will my pet be uncomfortable during a teeth cleaning?
Your pet’s health is important to us so we like to make sure your pet’s breath is good along with their teeth staying clean. Ayers Animal Hospital is here to anwser some of the most common questions about dog and cat dental care, both at home and here in the office.
Questions about Dog and Cat Dental Care Answered:
How important are regular dog and cat dental cleanings?
Pets should have their teeth professionally cleaned once a year to control tarter buildup. It is not uncommon that some pets need their teeth cleaned every 6 months. Tarter draws in bacteria and pushes the gums away from the teeth. This will cause inflammation and damage to your pet’s teeth, gums, jawbone and even enter to bloodstream to wreak havoc on internal organs. Tarter can only be removed professionally-no amount of brushing can get rid of it.
Will my pet be uncomfortable during a teeth cleaning?
Not usually. At Ayers Animal Hospital our veterinarians uses anesthesia for dog and cat cleanings. We use the same stringent anesthetic protocols we use for surgical situations so your pet is entirely safe, comfortable, and constantly monitored while we examine and deep clean their teeth. Your pet’s mouth may feel a little achy for few hours afterward, but this is temporary, and they will avoid the extreme pain, discomfort, and dangers of periodontal disease.
What are the symptoms of dog and cat dental disease?
Extremely bad breath, swollen or bleeding gums, blood on chew toys, oral sores on tongue or on gum line, a reluctance to eat or drink, etc. are all symptoms of periodontal disease and/or possible other diseases. Some pets, however, show no symptoms of dental disease even if they have it. This is why regular checkups are so important.
What can I do at home to promote pet oral hygiene?
You can start brushing your pet’s teeth at home each day. It may sound difficult, but we can help you train your pet to enjoy having their teeth brushed and become a daily dental hygiene routine. Do not use human toothpaste on your pet’s teeth. It is harmful to them. Always use animal toothpaste only! Also feeding your pet more crunchy dry dog food instead of soft food diet because the dry food tends to help remove some of the plaque. We also suggest dental food, treats that help reduce dental disease bacteria. Talk to our veterinarians or technicians on starting a daily home pet dental routine.
Do you have to use anesthesia to clean my pet’s teeth?
Yes we do. Even the calmest pet will jerk his or her head during a dental exam, This is especially dangerous when we are using sharp dental tools to scale away tartar. Anesthesia helps us provide a safe, thorough cleaning and to catch and treat burgeoning problems before they get worse. Also it is an AAHA requirement that all animals are sedated and intubated for all teeth cleanings.
Do dog and cat dental cleanings require antibiotics?
Not usually, but it depends on the pet and if any disease is diagnosed of the mouth at the time of the dental procedure. Most healthy pets have a strong immune system and do not need them, but if your pet has any health conditions that may affect their immune system (kidney, liver, heart disease, etc.), we usually do prescribe antibiotics before and after the dental procedure.
Watch these videos below why caring for your pet’s teeth is so important:
