Pet Dental Care is Important!
Apr 25 '00
In the clinic where I work as a veterinary assistant, one of my responsibilities is to perform dental prophies (routine cleanings) on patients. During the past few years, I have seen some nasty mouths. Dental care is certainly one of the aspects of pet health care most overlooked by pet owners. Most of the animals (I'm referring to dogs & cats here) over the age of 2 or 3 years who walk through our door are in need of a dental, some to a worse degree than others. The problem is that 90% of the time, the owner doesn't even know it! More often than not, the presenting complaint (the reason the pet was brought in in the first place) has nothing to do with its mouth. Usually we discover how badly a dental is needed just in the process of the physical exam, whether the pet came in for vaccinations or something else. I have seen (more times than I can count) clients come in with a dog complaining that its face is swollen and the dog won't eat- hmmmm, you think he might have a bad tooth?!?! (or *many* bad teeth!) It happens all the time- the pet may have breath so bad that you can smell it when he walks in the front door, but for some reason clients hardly think about the teeth.
If your dog has bad breath, ask why. No, a dog's breath is *not* supposed to be foul. Lift up your dog's lip and look at the teeth closely. Don't just look at the upper canines and tell yourself it's okay; be sure to inspect the molars all the way at the back. Since dogs (and cats) use their molars to chew, it is the surfaces of these rear teeth which tend to collect tartar sooner than the teeth in front. Also, the buildup of tartar is usually more severe on the teeth in the back.
(There are, of course, other reasons why a pet may have halitosis, like chronic vomiting, certain foods, medications, or treats, coprophagy, or the ingestion of anal gland material, to name a few. But if you smell bad breath, always consider a dental problem as well.)
Dental problems in the dog and cat are serious business. Few pet owners realize that periodontal disease can actually lead to heart problems. Some pets, like people have a genetic tendency toward better dental health than others, and will not require as much dentistry throughout their lives. On the other hand, I can name 5 dogs that I know personally who require a dental prophy every 3 months because they are prone to abcesses, gingivitis, and other problems. For most dogs, a dental cleaning once or twice a year is sufficient. Ask your veterinarian to assess your pet's dental health to determine how often a routine cleaning may be indicated for him (or her). You've heard the old adage: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Well, it has never been more true than in the case of dental health care.
As for the actual procedure, it goes like this: The animal is sedated (in our clinic the anesthesia is given intravenously as opposed to intramuscularly, so that the effects will wear off quicker and Spot will actually be able to get up and walk to the car -rather than be carried out- 4 hours later when it's time to go home). The pet's mouth is "propped" open, if you will, with an oral speculum, so that we can see all the surfaces of the teeth and get to hard to reach places. We use a machine called an ultrasonic scaler to remove the tartar for the teeth's surfaces. During the routine cleaning, we check for loose teeth, abcessess, gingivitis, and other problems. If there are teeth which need to be extracted, we do so with a tool called an elevator, which is used to rock the tooth back and forth and make it looser (if needed) so that it may be pulled out by a dental extractor. We then polish the teeth, using a special paste, which is followed by an oral rinse. Then we leave Spot alone for a while because he's been through enough for one day! We monitor the patient's recovery from anesthesia and discharge him (or her) that same afternoon. Routine dentals are a simple way to avoid the not-so-simple problem of pet dental disease.
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Epinions.com ID:
metermaid
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Member: Leigh Ann Horn
Location: Jackson, Tennessee
Reviews written: 57
Trusted by: 36 members
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