Our furry friends need dental care too! Most of us cannot brush our pets’ teeth every day. Could you imagine what your teeth and breath would be like if we didn’t pay attention to our personal oral care?
We commonly see oral pain in animals associated with severe dental disease that goes unaddressed for far too long. Remember, animals tend to hide their pain until it is unbearable. That is like living with a constant tooth ache, headache and even abscesses and not being able to do anything about it. Prophylactic cleanings are encouraged to promote overall health and lessen the progression of oral disease. It is just like us going to a dentist regularly for cleanings and oral exams.
One difference in veterinary medicine is the need to use anesthesia for dental procedures, as an animal will not keep their mouth open on command. Again, we use safe anesthetic protocols and close monitoring. During the procedure, we do complete oral exams and scale off tartar and stains and polish every tooth. We have high speed dental drills which can aid with tooth extractions if absolutely necessary. Dental kits go home with every patient, which include a variety of samples and full sized products that assist you in maintaining oral health for your pet.