Dental Health for Your Pet
Most people don't realize that dental disease in dogs and cats is one of the most common problems veterinarians have to treat. As in people, plaque and tartar build up on the teeth. This is formed by the food particles and bacteria which combine with salivary secretions where the teeth rise above the gum line. If this plaque is allowed to accumulate unchecked, it eventually causes a variety of dental conditions that range from mild discomfort and bad breath, all the way to root abscesses and difficulty eating. Naturally, when it gets to the latter stages, immediate attention is required.
| Common Symptoms | Risk factors | Risk Factor Management |
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Pets are an important part of our lives for many years. As such, dental care is important to extend your pet’s good health and quality years with you. Dental disease is the most common problem seen in our pet population today. More than 85% of all dogs and cats presented to veterinarians are affected with dental problems. Periodontal disease is what causes bad breath, eventual tooth loss and can contribute to premature heart, kidney and liver disease.
We recommend daily dental care at home for your pets, just like the rest of the family. It is best to begin home care at an early age (8-12 weeks) during puppy or kittenhood, but it is never too late. Visible tartar should be removed ultrasonically in a process known and scaling and polishing, just like when people go to the dentist. This makes your home care efforts easier and more effective. Always remember to make it fun!
Gathering
Supplies:
Washcloth or toothbrush
Veterinary toothpaste (CET Paste available at
Valley Animal Hospital)
Week 1 – Slowly Acquainting Your Pet With Mouth Care
Using your hand, gently open the pet’s mouth and run your finger around his or her lips, lifting the lips, etc. This should begin for just 30 seconds on day one and progressing to a couple of minutes by the end of the week. Reward your pet with a small treat at the end of each session (no “people food” please).
Week 2 – Introducing Toothbrush or Washcloth (Without Toothpaste)
This week, use either a wet washcloth wrapped around your index finger or wet toothbrush on the teeth. Lift lips. Massage the outer surfaces only of upper and lower teeth using a back-and-forth motion. Do this for 30 seconds on day one, progressing up to three minutes by the end of the week.
Week 3 – Add Toothpaste, Extend Brushing Time
This week use your dental cleaning instrument and add ¾ inch of veterinary toothpaste to brush the outer surfaces only of upper and lower teeth in a back-and-forth motion.
A
FEW POINTERS:
·
Do not rush the process or else the pet may
become resistant.
·
If your pet shows any indication of aggression
(growling, bearing teeth, biting, scratching, etc.) stop immediately. Call the
hospital for further professional advice.
·
NEVER use human toothpaste. Gagging
and vomiting are common if this is done.
·
Cleaning at home will reduce the frequency of
professional care needed.
·
Milkbones will only help slightly. A much
better alternative is Hill’s brand t/d tartar removal dog food as
treats. See any Valley Animal Hospital receptionist for a free trial sample.
It really works!
VIDEO
Believe it or not, Skyler Chilman's favorite thing in life is to have his teeth brushed with CET Malt flavor. Watch his mother demonstrate brushing teeth in this video. (It will take 3-5 minutes on a 28.8 modem and you must be able to view MPG videos. Wait for download to finish before playing)
Professional Dental Prophylaxis
Eventually, despite hard food and regular at home care, most pet's teeth will start to build up plaque and tartar (which leads to gingivitis and periodontal disease). That's when regular dental prophylaxis in our office can stop a minor problem from becoming a major one. These procedures are a same day process so your pet never has to stay away at night. Most pets (depending on breed, patient size, food and home care) will need a dental prophylaxis any where from every 6 months (like our teeth) to every few years.
The pet is fasted from midnight the night before to allow the stomach to empty. Since sedation is required, pre-anesthetic blood work is recommended. The anesthesia is necessary to allow placement of an endotracheal tube to make sure bacteria from the mouth and water and debris from the cleaning process are not inhaled into the lungs and cause problems.
Here is an actual VAH dental prophy in progress!
Timmy is a beautiful Irish Wolfhound. These are his teeth before the dental prophylaxis. The plastic object is the endotracheal tube already in place. Notice the tartar on the teeth.
A close-up view of one of Timmy's molars
A machine called a cavitron is being used to clean Timmy's teeth. It uses ultrasound and a water jet to do its job.
The teeth are polished with a rubber rotary device similar to those used in a human dentists office.
These are Timmy's teeth immediately after the procedure. Notice how clean and pretty they now are. They'll provide him with many years of service in the future, (Also notice the fractured canine tooth-that left upper fang tooth-it is a good candidate for a root canal procedure. See the section below for a description of that procedure.)
Root Canal Therapy
In many cases it is now possible to save your pets teeth rather than having to extract them. The root canal process can be used to save fractured and devitalized teeth. This allows your pet to maintain better function of the mouth long term and eliminates bone loss problems associated with extraction.
Here's an actual VAH root canal in progress!
A slab fracture of the 4th upper premolar left the pulp cavity of this tooth exposed. A "root canal" is indicated to save the tooth and to prevent a root abscess from occurring in the future.
The pulp chamber and root canals are accessed by drilling into the crown of the tooth.
The root canals are then cleaned, disinfected and drilled out with endodontic files. This is a tedious process.
Canal depth is checked with dental radiography.
The canals are flushed with a bleaching solution to eliminate any remaining bacteria.
The canals are cleaned and dried, then filled with gutta percha.
Once all 3 canals are filled, the pulp chamber is sealed with an amalgum filling.
Dental radiography is again used to evaluate the finished root canal filling.
The final product, a tooth that is again ready to last the life of the patient.
Normal Anatomy in the Oral Cavity
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