Preventative Dental Care by Dr. Jones Imagine if you went for years without brushing your teeth! Each time one of our veterinarians performs a complete physical exam on your pet, he or she will look into the mouth and evaluate the teeth, gums, and general oral cavity—and boy do we see some impressive levels of dental disease on a daily basis. While pets rarely get cavities like we do, they very commonly develop heavy tartar and plaque buildup, serious gingivitis (gum inflammation/infection), recession of the gums, broken or damaged teeth, or even resorption of portions of the teeth (common in cats). These issues can lead to infection, oral pain, difficulty eating, foul breath odor, and they can even impact other organ systems if left untreated (such as the heart and kidneys). If our vets notice these issues, they will recommend we pursue a dental procedure for your pet—often an ultrasonic scaling and polishing followed by x-ray evaluation of any diseased teeth and then appropriate treatment to address what we find. We will discuss these procedures in an upcoming blog post. There is good news though! Studies have shown that daily tooth brushing can actually maintain healthy teeth and gums and prevent the need for undergoing the dental procedures mentioned above. Daily brushing might seem like a daunting proposition, but with a gradual, positive introduction, most dogs and cats will actually tolerate having their teeth brushed. Many even enjoy it due to the yummy flavor of the pet toothpastes! Mmm poultry!! A video is worth a thousand words! Click below to watch a detailed video demonstrating how to brush your dog’s teeth. In those cases where your dog or cat just simply will not tolerate tooth brushing, there are other dental care options that can be helpful as well--although none have been proven to have the tremendous preventative benefits of daily brushing. Dental wipes can be used daily in place of brushing and can be quite effective in some pets. Dental dog food such as Hills Prescription Diet t/d or Hills Oral Care are specially designed to clean teeth while your pet chews—much more so than typical dry food diets. Certain pets (dogs or cats!) are good candidates for dental chews such as CET Enzymatic Chews or even Greenies Dental Chews. (It is important to always supervise your pet with any type of dental chew however—depending on your pet’s chewing style, some chews can be a health or choking hazard.) If you are interested in learning how to brush your cat or dog’s teeth, please don’t hesitate to call and schedule a demonstration! We can assess your pet’s current level of dental health and help you tailor an individual preventative care plan to implement at home!
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 14:53:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015