Pet Dental Care
Some Important Facts to Consider:
• According to the American Veterinary Dental Society, 80% of dogs and cats show signs of oral disease by age three.
• Periodontal disease is most common in smaller breed dogs because their teeth are often too large for their mouths.
• Broken teeth are a common, and often painful, problem for dogs, particularly outdoor dogs.
• Plaque is a colorless film that contains large amounts of bacteria. Left unchecked, plaque builds up on the teeth, creating infection, destroying gums and resulting in the loss of the tissues and bone that support the teeth.
• Periodontal disease is the most prevalent disease among cats and dogs!
• Preventive oral care, along with regular professional cleanings, can help maintain proper oral health throughout the pet's life.
Signs of Periodontal Disease
All pets are at risk for developing dental problems. Just imagine if you never brushed your own teeth! Once a pet displays the following warning signs, serious periodontal disease may already exist:
• Tooth loss
• Subdued behavior
• Abnormal drooling
• Dropping food out of the mouth
• Swallowing food whole
• Bad breath
• Yellow-brown crust on teeth
• Bleeding gums
• Going to the food bowl but not eating
• Change of chewing or eating habits
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Treatment of Oral Disease
Preventive care is of utmost importance. Just as you brush your own teeth every day, daily brushing of your pet's teeth is the best measure you can take to maintain good oral health. Always use a veterinary formulated tooth paste to ensure your pet's safety. And ask us for a demo and tips to make the experience pleasurable for you and your pet!
If you cannot brush, the next best thing is to give your pet a specially formulated dental diet or dental chews. Be aware that many, many products are labeled "dental" but provide little or no real benefit. At Beaver Brook Pet Center, we carry dental food, treats and other products that are backed by scientific evidence and have been proven to have a real and measurable impact on your pet's dental health.
Now, if your pet will not allow you to brush, and for some reason, refuses dental food and/or treats, the next best thing is an oral hygiene rinse that, like the food and treats, helps prevent plaque from adhering to the teeth. It is also beneficial to use the oral hygiene rinse in conjunction with dental foods, brushing and/or treats.
Regular dental exams when your pet comes in for a visit with the doctor are also an important part of preventive care. Problems can be spotted early - when they are most easily treated.
Just as your own dentist recommends annual cleanings for optimum oral health, the doctors at Beaver Brook recommend that your pet come in for regular professional cleanings.
Why is General Anesthesia Needed?
Put simply, having your pet under general anesthesia allows us to clean not only the visible surface of the teeth, but also the tooth surface that sits below the gumline. No dental cleaning is complete without addressing this potentially bacteria-laden area. In fact, removing tartar just from the visible surface of the teeth may make them look whiter, but it does not address the root cause of periodontal disease and ensuing bone loss from the bacteria that lodges below the gumline. But there are many other reasons as well:
When your pet is under anesthesia, he or she is unaware of, and therefore not scared or stressed over, the oral exam and treatment we provide. Your pet receives a sedative and simply falls asleep, awakening once the procedure is completely over. An added benefit is that our doctors and technicians don't risk being bitten by an understandably fearful pet!
Having your pet under general anesthesia allows us to deliver appropriate medications, including analgesics, nerve blocking and anti-inflammatories to address any potential pain related to inflamed gums or cavities, before we provide any treatment. Because your pet is under anesthesia, we can generally complete any treatment needed right away, rather than requiring a second visit.
We place a small tube down your pet's throat, just like in human surgery, to protect the airway from bacteria-laden tartar that is removed from the teeth. This tube also allows us to reliably delivery oxygen and anesthesia to ensure your pet's safety and comfort.
Because your pet is unconscious and relaxed, we can perform a thorough exam of the entire mouth, something that is nearly impossible on a conscious pet. Our technicians examine every tooth surface and probe every area of the gums, looking for diseased tissue, cavities, and other problems.
The teeth are cleaned with an ultrasonic scaler, and then polished to a smooth surface, a step that is generally skipped in so-called "anesthesia-free dental cleanings." Polishing is a vital step because removing the tartar from the teeth causes microscopic etches in the tooth surface which creates an ideal environment for plaque and tarter to adhere again. Polishing smooths the surface of the tooth and decreases the adhesive ability of plaque.
To ensure your pet is a good candidate for anesthesia, we perform blood tests that help us to assess the health of vital organs. And your pet is monitored 100% of the time he or she is under anesthesia by state of the art equipment and trained, skilled veterinary professionals.
It is important to note that the American Veterinary Dental Society states that "'Non-anesthetic' cleaning is not a viable option," because of the many reasons listed above.
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Beaver Brook Pet Center
77 Elmgreen Lane
Evergreen CO 80439
Tel - 303-670-0838
Fax - 303-670-8351
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