Pet Dental Care & Oral Surgery Services
Pet dental care has become an established component of good veterinary care. One of the best things pet owners can do to ensure the overall health of their pet is to do routine checks of the teeth, gums, and oral cavity.
Good preventive dental care and treatment of diseased teeth and gums can extend your pet’s life expectancy by two to four years. Dental tartar and the accompanying infection are not only painful, but also could eventually lead to heart, liver, and kidney disease. Bad teeth and gums may also prevent your pet from eating properly.
Don’t be afraid to look in your pet’s mouth and inspect it for any foul looking or smelling characteristics! Studies indicate that by age three, more than 80% of dogs and 70% of cats show the beginning signs of gum disease. Bad breath could be an early warning sign of the dangerous gum disease gingivitis.
How can you be proactive about good pet dental hygiene?
- Bring your pet in annually for a thorough dental examination.
- Brush your pet’s teeth at home on a regular basis to remove plaque, a soft deposit on the teeth.
- Use specially formulated dietary foods to help reduce the accumulation of plaque on your pet’s teeth.
Many pets need to have a thorough dental cleaning done under anesthesia to remove tartar, a hard yellowish deposit, and to remove any decayed or broken teeth.