Dental Care is Vital to Your Pet’s Health
It’s possible to add years to your pet’s life with proper dental care. Dental hygiene can also increase your pet’s health, vitality and well-being.
Left untreated, dental problems can cause pain, infection, and inflammation, and take years off your pet’s life. Pets have an extremely strong instinct to survive no matter what discomfort they feel, and many will disguise any pain or discomfort they may be feeling. It is estimated that more than 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats develop tooth and gum disease by the age of THREE.
Veterinary dental care is an important piece of your pet’s preventive health care program.
Not all dental services are created equal.
The centerpiece of good dental care is a complete oral exam followed by a thorough cleaning with dental radiographs (aka X-rays). Dental cleanings include ultrasonic scaling followed by polishing and a mouth rinse, the combination of which is designed to remove plaque and slow its buildup. This must be done under general anesthesia.
Digital dental X-rays are high-definition images that provide a view above and below your pet’s gum line and jaw in order to look for evidence of dental disease that cannot be seen by visual examination alone. This is a wonderful tool for enabling the treatment of dental issues before they become much larger and more expensive medical issues. It is now considered standard of care for x-rays to be taken with every dental procedure.
Should we find any issues, such as evidence of gum or tooth decay, gingivitis, or excessive plaque buildup, we will discuss this with you and provide treatment options. We are experienced dental practitioners and capable of offering a number of dental procedures and oral surgeries. For more complicated or severe cases, we may recommend that your pet see a veterinary dental specialist. We are very lucky that a veterinary specialist comes to our facility when needed for procedures and consultations.
WE OFFER:
Oral examinations under anesthesia
Diagnosis and treatment of Periodontal disease
Full Mouth Digital X-rays
Supra and subgingival scaling
Tooth extractions
Polishing
Irrigation
Fluoride application
We are dedicated to educating you about the importance of dental health.
The Dental Station at Complete Care Animal Hospital
Why is General Anesthesia Necessary?
At least 60% of cats’ and dogs’ normal tooth structure is under the gum line. Partially removing plaque and tartar from the exposed crown is more cosmetic than therapeutic. Removing the plaque and tartar from both above and below the gingiva on the lingual and buccal surfaces requires general anesthesia and results in a cosmetic as well as therapeutic outcome. General anesthesia also facilitates proper pain-free probing of each tooth’s support and the required immobilization necessary to take intraoral dental x-rays. Finally, intubation during general anesthesia protects the trachea and prevents aspiration of water and oral debris.
The 2013 AAHA Dental Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats, approved and endorsed by the American Veterinary Dental College, advocate the use of general anesthesia with intubation for dental procedures. A thorough tooth-by-tooth exam and removal of plaque and tartar cannot be performed without general anesthesia. Thanks to AAHA-mandated anesthesia standards, the risk of adverse anesthetic events is minimized. A properly placed breathing tube, patient-tailored anesthesia, and closer monitoring actually reduce the risks to your pet’s health.
People don’t usually have to be anesthetized because we understand what is going on during a dental procedure – we understand when someone asks us to keep still in order to avoid being hurt. However, even some people react so strongly to dental procedures that they need to be sedated. In people, a trip to the dentist most often means cleaning clean teeth; with dogs and cats, painful periodontal disease is commonly present and needs to be treated with anesthesia.
KEY FACTS
Anesthesia is performed with the same medications, monitoring, and support that is standard of care for humans.
This includes pre-anesthetic examination and testing, patient monitoring, IV fluids, warmth, and monitored recovery with a registered veterinary nurse.
Pain management is a priority and medications are used before, during, and after the procedure for patient comfort and optimal healing.
We use individualized anesthetic protocols based on the pet’s age, type of procedure, and health status. Age is not a disease, and your pet should not be excluded from dental cleanings based solely on age.
We have protocols for pets with heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, and diabetes.
Every dental patient will receive a physical examination, pre-anesthetic testing, and an individualized anesthetic protocol.