Pet Dentistry
Dutton Road Animal Clinic is a strong advocate of keeping your pet’s mouth healthy. Dental care is an important health issue you have full control over. Dogs as young as two years of age have shown signs of periodontal disease. If tartar and plaque are not removed it will push back the gum lining exposing the root resulting in gum disease and tooth loss. Ultimately bacteria will enter the dog’s system and will affect the heart, liver and kidneys, nervous system and other major organ systems causing infections and premature aging.
Symptoms
Signs of periodontal disease include:
- bad breath
- red or swollen gums
- yellow or brown crust near the gum line
- loose or missing teeth
- discomfort when the mouth or gums are touched
- possible decreased appetite or weight loss due to difficulty in chewing
Treatment
We address all dental issues and ultrasonically clean and polish dog’s teeth. Many will allow this procedure to be done without general anesthesia. If anesthesia is needed and no major dental work is necessary, your pet should be ready to go home within 10 minutes after the cleaning.
Gingivitis is exhibited by extensive redness and swelling of the gums. It can be treated with the Biolase MD. We go into swollen gum tissue and remove plaque and bacteria to help stimulate the growth of healthy tissue, which can lead to the reattachment of the gum to the tooth root and accelerate healing. Healing is fast with minimal or no pain. The standard charge is $50 unless extensive treatment is needed.
A root-exposed tooth is a problem. No matter how clean the tooth, bacteria will still build up. Our clinic is the first veterinary clinic in the United States to own the Biolase MD; the best dental laser currently on the market. This $65,000 state of the art technological product is gentle and can desensitize root-exposed teeth. Exposed root has no enamel covering and contain tiny rough pores that attract plaque, tartar and bacteria. The laser seals those tiny pores making plaque and tartar less attracted to the site. A clear bonding finish is applied to replicate an enamel surface. We successfully do dental bonding on root-exposed teeth using human dentistry materials. The bonding procedure smoothes the exposed root surface and applies the bonding curing it by using a UV light. We see significant reduction of build up of tartar, the gums remain healthy and there is no further root exposure. We have done over 1000 bonding procedures since 2000.
Prevention
Pet stores sell soft bristle brushes, finger brushes and toothpaste especially for dogs. Dental care includes brushing, special water additives (Biotene or Oxifresh), applied dental products to coat the teeth and delay tartar formation (Oravet or Pro V Seal) and hard chew toys and treats designed to help keep you pet’s teeth and gums in good condition. Once a month inspect your dog’s mouth for tartar. Tartar is a thin brown line along the gum line. There should not be a “ledge” between the gum and the tooth. Your dog’s gums should be a nice pink color. Be on the lookout for inflamed or swollen gums or bad breath. We strongly recommend annual checkups and professional cleaning.
