Healthy Smiles for Happy Pets: Complete Dental Care
It’s important not to neglect your pet’s oral health, which is why we make dental services a central part of our veterinary offering at Cainhoy Veterinary Hospital. We offer dental exams, cleanings, radiography (x-rays), and more to help keep your pet’s mouth, teeth, and gums in healthy condition.
Dental Examinations
Dental disease affects 4 out of every 5 cats and dogs before they turn three. Dental disease is painful for your pet and potentially dangerous, as the bacteria that causes it can move to other parts of the body from the mouth.
That’s why it’s up to us as owners and veterinary care professionals to identify signs of dental disease and take action.
Some of the most common signs of dental disease include:
- Bad breath
- Difficulty or discomfort when eating
- Bleeding from the gums
- Pawing, rubbing, or tending to the mouth
- Yellow or brown tartar on teeth
- Excessive dribbling or drooling
If you notice any of these warning signs, set up an appointment at Cainhoy Veterinary Hospital as soon as possible. Preventative care is also important to help ensure that your pet stays healthy, and this includes wellness checkups, dental cleanings, and sometimes at-home care such as brushing or providing dental chews designed for oral health.
Dental Cleanings
In some cases, we may recommend a dental cleaning if your pet’s gum and tooth health is in need of some additional care. At dental cleanings, we’ll provide a deep scrub of tartar and plaque to help your pet return to a better baseline of oral health. In some cases, such as if dental disease has progressed, we may be required to remove certain teeth.
We’ll always discuss exactly what our recommendation is with you before a dental cleaning, and make sure that you have a complete understanding of your pet’s oral health and why we recommend certain actions such as cleanings or the removal of a tooth.
Dental Radiography
Many of the problems that can have the most serious effects on your pet’s oral health (and overall health) occur out of sight, below the gumline. Each of our patients receive dental x-rays (radiography) prior to their cleaning to ensure our team can see what’s happening beyond what the naked eye can show us.
While dental radiography is minimally invasive, and non-surgical, it is performed under anesthesia as pets can be sensitive and protective of their mouths— particularly in cases when they’re experiencing pain or discomfort.
At-Home Dental Care
While the services we provide at Cainhoy Veterinary Hospital, such as dental examinations or cleanings, may be important, they represent a small part of what will be necessary to keep your pet’s mouth, teeth, and gums healthy. At-home care is essential, but you’re not alone in figuring out what our pet needs. Our team will outline exactly the care regimen, products, and changes that should occur at home - but it will be up to you as an owner to be vigilant in giving your pet the oral at-home care they need to be healthy, happy, and pain-free.