Dental Prophylaxis

Read a great article from AHAA regarding your pet's dental hygine

Dental calculus (tartar) is composed of various minerals, organic material and bacteria. In the early stages of accumulation, the material is soft (plaque), but later hardens and adheres to the teeth. Continual accumulation causes inflammation of the gums and eventually gum recession and loose teeth. The breath becomes malodorous and the mouth becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. Many of these potentially dangerous bacteria enter the blood stream and the continual showing of kidneys, liver, heart and blood vessels can cause serious disease.

Prevention of severe disease of the mouth is very important to the overall health of any animal. Feeding hard or coarse foods remains the easiest means of decreasing plaque formation. Chew toys and other similar products that increase the chewing activity also help. However, additional help to clean the teeth is vital. As with humans, the best means of keeping a pet’s teeth clean is regular daily brushing with toothpaste. Many types of toothpaste are available that are flavored for pets. These rely on enzymes rather than harsh detergents to reduce plaque formation. For many pets, even this is not adequate and regular professional dental cleanings are needed. Pets can also benefit from sealers that are applied to the teeth as part of the dental prophy, and at home as part of long term care.

The teeth must be cleaned under general anesthesia and consists of removing plaque and tartar from all surfaces of the teeth and then polishing the surfaces to decrease roughness and slow the attachment of new plaque and tartar. This is the same general procedure as when a person goes to the dentist for a routine cleaning and examination. If teeth are in bad shape and cannot be repaired, extraction is the treatment of choice. Dogs and cats do extremely well after extracting even very large numbers of teeth. Only rarely do they become unable or unwilling to eat their normal dry food.

Read a great article from AHAA regarding your pet's dental hygine

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