Dental Care
Dental care is vital to your pet’s overall health and longevity, but periodontal disease remains the most common health issue our animal companions face. The fact is that most pets over three already have some signs of periodontal (dental) disease.
Unfortunately, many pet parents don’t pay attention to their pet’s mouth until they’re forced to do so by terrible doggy breath, a pet that has trouble eating, or obviously feels unwell. At that point, a lot of teeth and gum damage has probably already occurred, requiring extensive cleaning, extractions, and or oral surgery to fix. If the periodontal disease is very advanced, bacteria may have already spread to internal organs, causing serious illness and perhaps even shortening the life of your pet. The way to avoid all this is with regular dental care including at-home brushing if possible, dental exams, and annual dental cleanings.
We offer comprehensive dental services, including:
- Dental exams
- Dental X-rays
- Cleaning/scaling
- Extractions
Most animals need annual professional cleaning and assessment after three years of age. A big part of the oral health assessment is digital dental radiography (X-rays) which allows our doctors to fully evaluate each tooth above and below the gum line.
Per guidelines from the American Veterinary Medical Association, we do only anesthetic dental cleanings. While non-anesthetic cleanings are becoming a popular option, we cannot recommend them because, in addition to being extremely stressful for pets, they do not allow for scaling under the gum line where the majority of plaque and tartar build-up.
If you have concerns about your pet’s oral health or would like more information schedule your pet’s dental exam with our office today!
If you’d like to schedule your pet for a dental exam or cleaning, you can book online or give us a call at (214) 826-4800.
