What Lives in Your Pets' Mouth?

February is dental month! Although February has come and gone faster than I would have liked it to; I still wanted to share a post about the importance of dental care in your pet! Most owners do not realize that the mouth itself poses real threats to the health quality of their pet. Home oral care (brushing teeth, dental chews), beginning in the puppy and kitten stages and regular dental check ups with your veterinarian will ensure your pet has a healthy chomper!

4 Stages of Periodontal Disease
Click on the website/image to make it larger
(Thorpevet.com)

What is Periodontal Disease? 
Periodontal Disease begins and ends in the mouth. The gums become severely inflamed and sometimes can be very painful for your pet. The built up of plaque and tartar irritate the surrounding gum tissue and bone.

The components of Periodontal Disease.
Without plaque and tartar there would be no periodontal disease! Where does that plaque and tartar come from, you ask? Plaque is nasty bacteria that accumulates over time in your pets' mouth; it can affect the surrounding tissues and bone. The bacteria that is found in plaque can enter the bloodstream and cause internal organ damage. Tartar comes from your pets' salty saliva that "bonds" with the presenting plaque. After a few days on a not-so-clean surface, the tartar attaches itself to the tooth and can enhance plaque attachment. Tartar can be very hard to remove without the proper dental instruments.

Scaling teeth
(Website)

How do you remove the plaque/tartar?
When your pet presents for a dental, each clinic will have their protocol and will be sure to go over the paper work. Make sure you pay attention to what the doctor/technician is going over with you. Blood work, different anesthetics gases and pain medications are a few things that will be proposed to you because your pet will have to undergo general anesthesia. During a dental, we use a sonic scaler to go deep under the gums to ensure the best removal of the bacteria that is present. With your pet asleep, we can ensure to get in the crevices of their teeth. After scaling, the doctor will check for any periodontal pockets. A periodontal pocket is just an open pocket underneath the gum where bacteria can accumulate and cause infection. This is done with a simple tool that is placed around each tooth to ensure the pocket depth is normal (less than 2mm in depth). The last step is to polish the tooth to smooth out the rough surface the scaler has made. This is done just like at your dentist; with a loud, spinning "tooth brush" that is placed on each tooth to ensure a smooth and clean surface.

(Website)

What are the signs of Periodontal Disease?
"My pets' breath is horrible," is a common thing I hear as a tech. Bad breath is definitely a major sign that your pets' mouth is a nasty mess. Bleeding and redness of the gums are also a sign; this can cause pain, which can lead to your pet not eating or having a hard time eating. If your pet has severe periodontal disease, teeth that are loose or falling out can occur.

Can Periodontal Disease be prevented?
At home oral care will definitely help, but nothing can actually "prevent" periodontal disease. Brushing your pets' teeth, dental chews and dental rinses can certainly help. These products can all be found at your local veterinarian or pet store.

Is doing a dental on my pet really worth it?

(Website)

YES! Owners will laugh when I tell them that their pet may need to undergo a dental. Brushing a dog or cats' teeth is a fairly new concept in the veterinarian world. You don't think about teeth being all that important to internal organ health, but they certainly are! As stated before, the nasty bacteria that accumulates in your mouth can enter your pets' bloodstream and cause severe damage. This can all be prevented by simply having your pet undergo a thorough routine dental cleaning. Depending on your pet, dental cleanings may be performed every 6 months to a year. Your veterinarian will help you determine how often dental cleanings will need to be performed on your pet.

All of this seems like a lot I know, but in the end it will definitely benefit your pet! Here's proof in a picture!

Built up of plaque/tartar resulting in dental disease.
(VOHC)

After a routine dental cleaning!
What a difference it makes!
(VOHC)

I hope that you have enjoyed learning about the importance of animal dentistry. If you feel your pet needs a thorough dental examination, please don't hesitate to call Tenth Street Animal Hospital today! We have a wonderful "dental doctor" who knows all things relating to dental (and other important things, of course) and will treat your pet with gentle hands!

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Here's to a tail waggin' day,

Noelle

*Information for this blog was obtained via: VOHC (this is a GREAT dental website), AVDC

*Pictures can be found at the websites provided in captions.