Smiles Everyone!!!

Have you ever seen a dog smile? Some dogs actually lift up their upper lip and show their teeth as a greeting. This is usually easily distinguished from a snarl by the body language of the dog, a wagging tail and upright head mean "It's nice to see you". An ear to ear open mouthed grin on a playful lab definitely says "I'm happy!" Cats rarely show their teeth except for a lazy, toothy yawn from time to time. For some pets, these behaviors are the only times their owners get to look at their teeth. They may notice brown staining on the teeth, a broken or loose tooth or a bad odor from the mouth. These are all reasons to have a veterinarian look at the teeth and suggest treatment to keep the pets mouth healthy and clean.

What kinds of dental procedures to veterinarians do for cats and dogs? The most common is called a dental prophylaxis, just like dentists do for people. This involves a ultrasonic scaling and polishing of all the teeth to remove tartar and plaque from the teeth. For animals this is an anesthetic procedure since they do not cooperate with a "say ahhh" command! A typical dental cleaning takes 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the pet and the amount of tartar on the teeth. After the teeth are cleaned the doctor examines each tooth and all the gums for signs of gingivitis, fractures of the teeth or any teeth that may require extraction. Teeth that have heavy tartar and gingivitis and have lost their attachment to the jawbone because of infection usually do need to be pulled. Some cavities or fractures can be filled and one of our patients actually has a gold capped canine tooth! He is proud of his smile!

Do you think your pet is too old for a dental? It is true that many of our dental patients are elderly or even geriatric. They are the ones whose dental care is the most important since dental disease can also affect their hearts or kidney function. Not to mention mouth infections and tooth pain that can lead to a decreased appetite. Checking bloodwork for abnormalities before anesthesia in these animals is extremely important. We also use the safest anesthetic protocol for each pet and offer intravenous fluid support during the dental to minimize risks. Antibiotics are very helpful to decrease the bacteria released during a dental cleaning, prevent systemic infections and allow inflamed gums to heal. Routine dental care as a youngster can also decrease the severity of dental problems as an animal ages. Believe it or not you can brush your dog or cats teeth even weekly to prevent tartar buildup.

Here at the Animal Clinic we just celebrated Pet Dental Month in February. We discount dentals and dental procedures to stress the importance of this level of health care for your pet although we know it is important year round. Our dental months are very successful and we clean hundreds of teeth! It is important to train your pet to allow its teeth to be examined so you and your vet are able to frequently look in their mouths.

Our pets can be healthier and happier and live longer lives with good dental care. Call or come and see one of our vets or experienced veterinary technicians if you have any questions about routine care, dental diets, anesthesia for dentals or tooth brushing. And remember, SMILE!!