Did you know that up to 80% of dogs and 75% of cats show signs of oral disease by the time they are three years old? [1]  Periodontal disease can dramatically impact your pet’s health and shorten their lifespan.

Just a few points to keep in mind:

• The mouth is the start of the digestion system. When it goes bad, so can everything else.
• We can brush our own teeth.  They can’t!
• If you get a professional dental cleaning annually, shouldn’t they?  They have teeth too.
• Your pet’s bad breath is mostly bacteria.  This bacteria has been shown to go systemic affecting the heart, liver, kidneys and other organs.

Many people have a fear of people putting their pets under anesthesia.  Although there are risks with anesthesia, it’s important to know that it is our job to do everything we can to minimize that risk. Furthermore, it is necessary because animals would never sit still for this procedure.

Our clinic has sophisticated monitors in our surgery suite and our dental area.  Your pet’s blood pressure, CO2 (inspired and expired) and temperature are monitored as well as having a Pulse-Oximeter and EKG leads hooked up to them. We also place an IV catheter so they can have IV Fluids while they are sedated.  These fluids have multiple purposes:  Perfusion of the kidneys, helping their kidneys flush the anesthesia out on recovery, also helping to keep the heart rate regulated while they are under. 

During the dental procedure, your pet will have his or her teeth cleaned with and ultrasonic scaler above and below the gum line.  Afterwards, the teeth will be polished with a high speed polisher and a fine grit paste. It is important to get those teeth to have a “glass-like” finish on them so that plaque will have a hard time sticking to the teeth. 

Veterinarians perform all extractions, should your pet need to have any teeth removed.

Schedule a teeth cleaning for your pet today.  It’s another GREAT thing we can do for the health of our pets.

Amanda Turkovich, C.V.T.

Dental Technician