Dental Health

You may be reading about dental care for pets a little more now since February is dental health month for pets. Health teeth are very important to your pet’s overall health.

Since a pet cannot brush their teeth, it is easy for plaque and tartar to build up. Many of the foods have dental crystals in them to minimize this which is a huge help. You can brush your pet’s teeth using a tooth brush or even bandage gauze. There are pet toothpastes to clean the teeth and decrease any inflammation.

Dogs often break teeth because they chew on many things. There may not be much of a problem due to a small break but larger breaks can cause pain and problems. It is hard to know when your pet has broken a tooth, unless they bleed. If your pet has bleeding from the mouth, be sure you veterinarian examines the teeth carefully and discuss care.

As tartar builds up, infection will start to creep under the gums and create periodontal disease. This infection can spread to the bone, and other vital organs. This is the point where the breath smells bad. It is important to discuss treatment for this through dental cleaning and treatment for infected gums with your veterinarian. This care must be done under deep sedation or anesthesia since our patients cannot sit there with their mouths open! Anesthesia is much safer than in the past, even for older pets, using pre anesthetic screening tests and a better selection of medicines to use.

There is chronic pain with dental disease, not sudden harsh pain. You may not see your pet eat any differently, or avoid play. They may be eating on the other side of their mouth, or just avoiding certain toys they would pick up. Occasionally the pain of the mouth makes a pet dislike being touched on the head or face. We may see some pets be aggressive generally due to the mouth pain – this is irritable aggression. Some pets have a much better disposition once that pain is gone.

Call us to set up an appointment to check your pet's teeth or for a dental cleaning at 217-253-3221.

To learn more about dental disease check out the American Veterinary Dental College's website.