Dental disease can be
prevented. .
Excellent dental hygiene
and routine prophylactic care can keep a mouth healthy throughout an
animals lifespan.
Brushing your pet's
teeth
on a daily basis helps remove
soft plaque before it becomes mineralized and hard. It is important to
use special pet toothpaste as human type paste can be harmful if
swallowed on an ongoing basis. Specially designed toothbrushes and
finger brushes are available to make brushing more comfortable for you
and your pet. Some people use bandaging gauze wrapped around a finger
for rubbing teeth and gums. It is important to start gradually with lots
of praise and positive reinforcement. Once a routine is established it
is easy to maintain.
If your
pet objects strongly to brushing do not force the issue! There are
other
options.
Dental chews that have a special
enzyme action help work plaque off the teeth and gum line. Rope toys and
dental kongs are tooth friendly toys that can make brushing fun. Hills
Prescription Diets have a Tooth Diet, "TD", that helps remove plaque and
retards its accumulation. However, before using chews or dental diets
make sure they are suitable for your pets overall dietary needs... some
pets have more than one problem to consider.
Professional care
plays a major role in the
maintenance of dental health AND the alleviation of existing dental
disease. Even with thorough brushing calculus will develop over time.
In order to properly assess the teeth and gums, remove calculus
deposits, clean the sulcus and tooth roots, polish and apply fluoride,
and if necessary extract a tooth general anesthesia is required. A
full physical examination
should take place prior to
any
general anesthesia.
Blood tests and radiographs
may be necessary in order to properly assess your pets state of
wellness. The information gathered in the pre anesthetic period helps
the veterinarian assess your pets anesthetic risk level. It helps reduce
anesthetic risk by allowing the veterinarian to choose the safest
anesthetic protocol for your pet... each animal has individual problems
and thus individual requirements. If an animal is deemed high risk the
anesthetic will be provided by a Board Certified Veterinary Anesthetist.
In addition if there is evidence of gross infection a antibiotic will be
chosen for administration prior to the dental procedure. When infected
gums are worked on there is an increased chance of dislodging bacteria
into the blood stream. The antibiotic will be continued at home for a
few days after the treatment.
Your veterinarian
will ask that animals be
food fasted but allowed access to water before being admitted for
general anesthesia. Once admitted they are given a
Pre Anesthetic injection
to help them relax, control
discomfort and increase safety during the induction of anesthesia.
Anesthesia is induced,
a breathing tube is inserted
and monitoring devices are put in place. It is important to monitor an
animal during anesthesia so that the anesthetic can be altered to match
the animals requirements moment by moment.
Your
Veterinarian and a Certified Animal Health Technician monitor the pets
in order to assure each patients safety.
A
scaler
is used to remove the heavier
deposits of external tartar. Once this is accomplished the mouth is
thoroughly examined. Any teeth that are loose with frank pus in the
sulcus will be
extracted
at this
time. If there is loss of root attachment over one-half the tooth root
length then it is unlikely the tooth will be salvageable.
At this point the dental work that is visible to the eye is complete.
However it is just the beginning of a thorough dental prophy.
Root planning
is a very important aspect of
cleaning teeth. This is when the area beneath the gum line is scraped
clean. This is where pockets of bacteria can be left behind to grow and
flourish. Thorough root planning combined with appropriate antibiotic
therapy helps to slow the recurrence of periodontal disease.
Ultrasonic scaling leaves minute scratches on the tooth surface. These
scratches can serve as a place for plaque to cling to. Because of this
they must be smoothed out. This done with a
dental polisher.
The polishing paste,
prophy paste, usually contains fluoride which also helps maintain the
tooth surface.
Analgesic
medications are administered to animals that have had extractions or
extensive root planning. The recovery period is closely monitored. Most
animals are able to go home the same day.
The
interval between professional dental procedures
varies from animal
to animal. With careful brushing and early professional intervention,
periodontal disease can be kept under control. By initiating affirmative
action at the Early Gingivitis Stage the more advanced stages of
periodontal disease can be avoided. However, if periodontal disease is
left to become advanced, the interval between prophylactic procedures
required to maintain a healthy mouth will become shorter.
