Smelly Breath
What grade would you score your dog or cat?
Does your pet have any of the following signs; bad breath, sore mouth, difficulty eating, loose teeth or lost teeth, pawing or rubbing mouth, bleeding gums, yellow or brown straining of teeth or dribbling saliva?
If you answered yes to 1 or many of those sign’s and graded your pet a grade greater then 1, then your pet suffers mild to moderate dental disease. Dental disease is the build up of bacteria on the teeth leading to calculus and tartar formation which leads to gingivitis, peritonitis and tooth resorption. Dental disease doesn’t just cause oral issues it can also lead to local abscess formation, systemic spread of bacteria into other organs causing systemic bacteraemia and sepsis as well as cardiac conditions. Thankfully dental disease is preventable and treatable.
Whilst certain factors predispose some of our pets to poor dental conformation and thus dental issues, so does age. Often our older geriatric patients have Grade 3-4 dental scores if they don’t receive regular dental care and checks. Grade 2-4 dentals require a dental to enable the removal of diseased teeth and to scale and polish remaining teeth. Since alot of our dental patients are elderly, we strongly recommend running pre-anaesthetic bloods and admitting them on fluids to help reduce any excessive load on the body and to promote a good recovery. More importantly running bloods prior to surgery, we can ensure that no other underlying systemic diseases that can develop with age are occurring, helping to ensure the safety of the general anaesthetic.
When you admit your patient to the Tenterfield Veterinary Clinic for a dental you can expect to receive a physical exam prior to any sedation to ensure top health of your pet before surgery. Once your pet is under anaesthesia we give a good oral examination to determine the extent of damage and the teeth required to be removed. The number of teeth that need to be removed varies depending on dental grade and degree of peridontitis and tooth resorption in your pet. Once the teeth that need to be removed are, we scale and polish the remaining. Depending on what was performed your pet may be sent home on medications to help with healing and prevent any infection developing while your pet’s mouth heals.
After receiving treatment, we can start preventative care. Here at TVC, we strongly recommended regular dental care to prevent your pet’s teeth exceeding a Grade 1. We can send your pet home on a dental diet which is scientifically formulated to remove any build up of plaque and tartar on the teeth promoting good gum health. In contrast we also recommend a product called “plaque off” which is a daily feed additive that works systemically that prevents bacteria from adhering to the teeth, preventing plaque and tartar to form. Other products are available that help to promote good dental care such as chews like greenies which are a great healthy alternate treats for our pets.
To ensure your dog or cat isn’t suffering from dental disease, please don’t hesitate to give the clinic a call on (02) 6736 2233 to book in your pets free Dental health check.
