Dental disease is caused by the accumulation of plaque. Plaque is the thin, sticky film that covers teeth and is composed of bacteria and their by-products, saliva, food particles and sloughed epithelial cells. If this plaque is not brushed away regularly and effectively, the bacteria infect the gums and can spread deeper around the tooth root and even into the jaw bone. Some reports say 80% of dogs & 70% of cats over the age of three have dental disease!

Ways to try and prevent dental disease:

  • Brushing your pet's teeth
  • Appropriate food
  • Pet Dental chews
  • Products in drinking water and placed on food

Regular veterinary dental check-ups are essential because despite doing as much home care as possible, most adult pets will need their teeth cleaned (a scale & polish) every year. As you know, even people who brush & floss their teeth twice a day, still need a scale and polish from the dentist. Imagine how much more important this becomes for our pets who do not always co-operate with our tooth brushing attempts!

The earliest indicator of dental disease is slight redness of the gum margins and build-up of calculus (yellowish mineral deposits) on the crown of the teeth. This is the time to ensure your pet gets a scale and polish to prevent further disease and infection.

We want to ensure you prevent your pet from developing any of the signs listed below as they are indicators of very advanced and painful dental disease.

Advanced signs of dental disease:

  • Bad Breath (halitosis)
  • Discoloured or loose teeth
  • Excessive drooling, sometimes blood stained
  • Dropping of food from the mouth when eating, or being reluctant to eat, especially hard food
  • Pain when handled around the head or behavioural changes
  • Facial swelling 
  • Pawing at the mouth 
  • Bleeding, bright red or receding gums

Pet dental treatment

A scale and polish is more correctly known as a COHAT or Complete Oral Health & Treatment. A COHAT involves:

  • Full veterinary pre-operative health assessment, we recommend blood tests as part of this assessment
  • Admission and discharge appointments
  • General anaesthetic including intravenous fluids
  • Radiographs (x-rays) of every tooth to detect disease that is hidden below the gums
  • Thorough charting of the mouth to look for deeper gum and root infections, fractures, mouth cancers and more
  • Professional scaling to remove tartar
  • Polishing of the teeth
  • Some teeth which have irreversible disease may need extraction so they do not become on ongoing source of pain
  • Advice on home-care to keep that smile sparkling

For more information about your pets specific dental health we encourage you to make an appointment for a dental assessment.