DENTAL CARE

Dental health leads to more than fresh breath. If you don't take care of your pet's teeth, tartar and gum disease can lead to problems with the heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys. Getting your pet's dental needs met will go a long way towards ensuring a long and healthy life.

DOGS - Four fifths of all dogs show some sign of gum disease at age 3, with smaller dogs having more problems.

CATS - Cats fare only slightly better than dogs, with 70% exhibiting some signs of gum disease by age 3. Almost one-third of all cats will develop a painful cervical line lesion at some point in their lifetime.

To maximize your pet's quality of life, be sure to take care of their teeth and gums! Our staff can provide advice on preventive dental care. Schedule an annual Comprehensive Wellness Exam, which includes an oral exam to determine if further veterinary dental care is required.

BRUSHING YOUR PET'S TEETH
Did you know it takes less than two minutes a day to brush your dog or cat's teeth? Isn't two minutes a day worth it to help protect your pet and add years to the time you can spend together? Imagine what would happen if you didn't brush your own teeth. Besides developing an unbearable case of bad breath, your own health would surely suffer. Even if you only ate hard food as we recommend for dogs and cats, plaque would still accumulate underneath the gum line. Plaque is a combination of bacteria and saliva. If allowed to remain on the teeth, plaque hardens into calculus. Without brushing, more plaque accumulates on top of the calculus and in time the inflammation and tissue destruction moves deeper into gum tissue, thus affecting the tooth's support structure. This condition is called periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is the leading cause of death in wild animals, leading to poor appetite and the spread of infection to vital organs.

When should I begin to brush my pet's teeth?
Daily plaque control should start as soon as the teeth erupt. If begun when a puppy or kitten, plaque will not gain a foothold under the gum line. Unfortunately most pet owners do not appreciate the importance of daily brushing for pets. Often the first time many people think about dental care is when the pet develops a foul breath. By this time periodontal disease has developed.

If your dog or cat has any accumulation of calculus at the gum line over the cheek teeth, it is time for a dental check up. Your veterinarian will professionally remove the accumulation. Once cleaned and polished, it will be your turn to maintain good oral health with daily brushing.

What do I look for in a pet toothbrush?
The first step is to pick an appropriate toothbrush. Do not buy a toothbrush designed for humans, since they usually are too hard for dogs and cats. The ideal pet toothbrush will have a long handle, an angled head to better fit the mouth, and bristles that are extra soft. To avoid cross contamination, each of your pets should have their own toothbrush. The brush should be replaced often, especially if your pet already has some periodontal disease.

Another option is an over-the-finger toothbrush. While such finger toothbrushes help introduce your pet to the brushing experience, they are not as effective as bristled brushes because the rubber tips on the finger brushes do not remove much plaque from below the gum line.

What do I look for in pet toothpaste?
Next, select an appropriate dentifrice. The best pet toothpastes are available through the clinic and contain an enzyme system that helps remove and control plaque. Fluoride may be incorporated to help control bacteria. Because animals swallow, avoid pastes formulated for humans with baking soda, detergents, foaming agents or active salt. These may cause nausea or induce diarrhea. Baking soda and/or salts can also cause serious physiologic problems in your pet.

Acquainting your pet with the process
Once you have your pet's brush and paste, select an appropriate time and place for brushing. Find a quiet, convenient time when you and your dog or cat are both relaxed. Placing your pet up on a table or bench helps raise it's mouth to your level, is less awkward, and makes your pet less likely to squirm. To be effective, tooth brushing should be done daily for a minute or two. After the brushing, try to do fun things with your pet so it associates the experience with something positive.

For the first few sessions do not use a toothbrush. Hold your dog or cat as if you are cuddling them. Gently stroke the outside cheeks with your finger. If you can start when they are young it's quite easy, but even older pets will gradually accept the process. Start slowly using a washcloth or a small piece of gauze dipped in chicken broth (dogs) or tuna juice (cats) and wipe the gums and teeth. Then take the pet toothbrush, soak it in warm water and start brushing. Do this daily for several days.

Introducing the toothpaste
Dab a little toothpaste on your finger and let your pet taste it. We suggest starting with poultry flavored toothpaste because most pets love the taste. Apply a small amount of toothpaste to the brush. In a slow circular motion, brush one or two teeth and the adjoining gum line. Be gentle. First let your pet become accustomed to the feel of the brush. Then begin routine brushing. The toothbrush bristles should be placed at the gum margin where the teeth and gums meet at a 45 degree angle. The movement should be in an oval pattern. Be sure to gently force the bristle ends into the area around the base of the tooth as well as into the space between the teeth. Ten short back and forth motions should be completed, then move the brush to a new location.

Over the next several days, gradually increase the number of teeth brushed. Concentrate on the outside surfaces of the upper teeth. It is important to brush the back cheek teeth where plaque and calculus have a greater tendency to accumulate. Remember to go slowly and gently. Build up to about 30 seconds per side. Because of the tongue's action, dogs don't develop much tartar on the inside surfaces of their teeth, so you only need to worry about the outside surfaces.

Try to make tooth brushing a pleasurable experience for all concerned. Proceed slowly and gently. Stop each session while it is still fun and lavishly praise your dog afterwards. He or she will soon look forward to tooth brushing and it will become fun for both of you.

Taking an active role in your pet's dental care will help reduce dental disease, bad breath, and potential life threatening heart and kidney disease. Everyone wins.

Tartar Control Diets
Normal dry pet food provides a dental benefit because of the moderate scraping action from crunching the kibbles. There are also a number of unique dental diets that do not need to be fed as the entire diet to be effective.

We recommend Hill's t/d. It is the only nutritionally complete pet food clinically proven to reduce plaque and tartar accumulation and help prevent gingivitis and the accompanying bad breath. You can mix it in with your regular pet food or use it exclusively. Some pet owners give it as a treat.

It is important to watch the treats. The soft, gummy treats can be especially bad for the teeth - they are soft, sticky, and full of sugar. Treats such as raw carrots for dogs are a much healthier choice. There are many "dental treats" on the market now to reduce plaque and tartar buildup.

Give your pet dental chews, C.E.T. flat rawhide, or dental bones. Avoid hard bones, such as cow hooves. According to the American Veterinary Dental Society, aggressive chewing on hard objects, such as commercially available cow hooves, is a primary cause of broken teeth in dogs.

VETERINARIAN DENTAL CLEANING
Like human dental cleaning, routine pet dental cleaning consists of SCALING (removing the tartar from above and below the gumline, using both hand instruments and ultrasonic scaling equipment), POLISHING (smoothing down the surfaces, making them more resistant to plaque formation), FLUSHING (using a special antiseptic solution to rid the mouth of bacteria so they do not invade gums which may have been irritated during cleaning) and FLUORIDE TREATMENT, the final step in the dental prophylaxis, to strengthen the enamel and decrease the rate of plaque buildup.

Unlike human dental cleaning, pet dental cleaning requires GENERAL ANESTHESIA, since pets do not "open wide", and may also include TOOTH EXTRACTIONS and ANTIBIOTIC THERAPY, depending upon how advanced the dental disease is. We recommend that any animal over the age of eight receive at least a Complete Blood Count and a Biochemical Screen to assess the safety of the pet undergoing anesthesia before a dental cleaning is performed.