Dental Care
Paying close attention to their oral health is one of the most important aspects in fostering a long life for your pet. 75% of our pets, over the age of three years, have some form of oral disease.
Dental care
Dental infections are painful and the associated bacterial infections may spread to internal organs such as the heart, liver, lungs and kidneys therefore shortening your pet’s life span.
Decreasing dental disease can be accomplished with regular professional cleanings, home care such as brushing plus numerous dental products including OraVet Applications, CET chews, T/D Hills Science Tarter/Teeth Diet and various other chews and rinses.
We recommend a dental examination if your pet is exhibiting any of these problems; bad breath, chewing on one side of the mouth, reddened gums, dropping food when eating, drooling, pawing at the face, shying away when the face or head is petted, bleeding from the mouth, occasional unexplained behavioral changes, loss of appetite, refusing to chew on toys, drink cold water or eat hard food.
A routine dental cleaning includes complete dental charting, scaling with an ultrasonic cleaning and polishing to leave a smooth non-adherent surface to which a dental sealant is then applied. If necessary, extractions are performed at the same time and the dental socket may be closed with absorbable sutures. These procedures are best performed under general anesthesia to allow for a deep cleaning. It is a painless procedure however pain medication may still be recommended to minimize inflammation or eliminate pain post operatively.
Oral surgery may be necessary for procedures such as oral epulis or tumor removal, cleft palates or flaps for bone extractions.