Dental

Quality Dental Care

Dental care is vital to the overall health of any animal. Dental disease leads to health issues with the heart, liver and kidneys, and can affect the entire body through the bloodstream. In fact, 80% of dogs and 70% of cats over the age of three years old suffer from some form of dental disease, making it the most common pet health issue among our pet population.
In spite of these disturbing facts, many pet owners are not aware of the importance of dental care to their pet’s health. There are a lot of different ways to improve your pet’s dental hygiene, including home brushing, dental chews, as well as regular inspection.
However, the most effective way to protect your pet from dental disease is through professional cleanings. We perform thorough cleanings, including the area beneath the gums that you can’t see or access at home.
If your pet has brown/yellow teeth, bad breath, or is having difficulty eating, these could all be signs of dental disease. Please call us today to learn more and schedule your pet’s cleaning.
Dental disease is the #1 illness affecting pets. Read below to learn more about how dental care can help your pet live a longer, healthier life!

Additional Dental Information

Information for Owners – Good oral health is an important part of good general health for your pet. >read more
Signs of oral and dental diseases in dogs and cats:
•Bad Breath
•Loose teeth or teeth that are discolored or covered in tartar
•Your pet shies away from you when you touch the mouth area
•Drooling or dropping food from the mouth
•Bleeding from the mouth
•Loss of appetitie or loss of weight (this combination can result from diseases of many organs, an early veterinary examination is important).

ANESTHESIA FOR VETERINARY PATIENTS

Anesthesia is essential for veterinary dental procedures, to ensure that the procedure can be completed successfully. Fear of general anesthesia is a natural concern voiced by many owners when a dental procedure is recommended. However, the risk of chronic oral infection, for example, is far greater than the risk of an anesthetic complication.

Top Four Reasons to test your pet before Anesthesia:
1.  Enjoy peace of mind.  Testing can significantly reduce medical risk.
2. Detect hidden illness.  Healthly-looking pets may be hiding symptoms of a disease or ailment.  Testing helps detect this kind of illness so we can avoid problems with anesthesia.
3. Reduce risks and consequences.  If the preanesthetic testing resuls are normal, we can proceed with confidence. If not, we can alter the anesthetic procedure to take other precautions to safeguard your pet’s health.
4. Protect your pet’s future health.  These tests become part of your pet’s medical record, providing a baseline for future reference.

DENTAL RADIOGRAPHS (X-RAYS)

Dental radiographs are one of the most important diagnostic tools available to a veterinary dentist. They allow the internal anatomy of the teeth, the roots and the bone that surrounds the roots to be examined.

MALOCCLUSIONS & ORTHODONTICS

Malocclusions and Orthodontics in Dogs and Cats – The teeth of dogs and cats usually fit together well enough to chew food without discomfort. “Malocclusion” is present when a tooth or some teeth are not able to fit comfortably when the mouth is closed. In veterinary patients, management of malocclusion (which can include shortening of the crowns or extraction of maloccluding teeth, or orthodontic treatment to move the maloccluding teeth to a more comfortable position) is designed to eliminate pain or serious malfunction, and is not performed for esthetic reasons.