dental cleaning

 

Modern Companion Animal Dentistry often involves sophisticated procedures which may include the following: patient evaluation, predental workup, general anesthesia, possible intravenous fluids, hospitalization, teeth cleaning, teeth polishing, extractions (if needed), fluoride treatment, and dental surgery (if needed).

Veterinary dental procedures are performed mainly to eliminate the bacterial infection present with periodontal exam. This infection is not only a source of bad breath, but more importantly provides entry of bacteria into the bloodstream via bleeding of the gums. Once bacteria enter the bloodstream, they can create infections in the heart, lungs, kidney, and liver.

A Minor Dental Infection Can Become A Major Health Problem!!

A "veterinary dentistry" is quite different from the equivalent process in people. For most of us, caring for our teeth and gums has been part of our daily routine for as long as we can remember. Consequently, a person's visit to the dental hygienist is relatively brief and does not require sedation. In contrast, veterinary dentistry is considerably more involved, time-consuming, and complex. It requires general anesthesia, and consequently a day's hospitalization and the skills of several people, from veterinarians to veterinary technicians and animal attendants.

Look For These Warning Signs:

• Bad breath – one of the first signs of dental disease
• A yellowish-brown crust of plaque on the teeth near the gum line
• Red and swollen gums
• Pain or bleeding when your pet eats or when the mouth or gums are touched
• Decreased appetite or difficulty eating
• Loose or missing teeth

Predental Workup

A predental workup may involve laboratory and diagnostic tests (such as a complete blood count (CBC) and blood chemistry profile) to better evaluate a pet's current health status and to assure safe anesthesia. Current medical problems must be evaluated and any possible unknown problems must be identified prior to dentistry.

Dental Cleaning

Your pet's dental cleaning begins with a physical examination. This is important in order to evaluate your pet's general health. After the physical exam, your pet is given a general anesthesia. This allows for a safe and painless sleep during the dental cleaning.

The first part of dental cleaning requires the removal of tartar. This is done by hand scaling and with an ultrasonic scaler.

Next, the doctor uses a periodontal probe and checks for pockets under the gumline where periodontal disease and bad breath starts. A mechanical scaler is used to clean above the gumline while a curette cleans and smooths the teeth under the gumline in the crevice. At this time, the doctor determines if any additional problems are present. If so, a treatment plan is formulated and discussed with you.

Your pet's teeth are polished, creating a smooth surface. The gums are washed with an anti- bacterial solution to help delay tartar build-up both under the gumline and on the crown of the tooth.

Finally, a fluoride treatment is administered to strengthen your pet's teeth, to desensitize exposed roots, and to decrease infection.

Aftercare

Once your pet's teeth have been cleaned, you'll want to keep them in good shape. For the first week following dentistry, you should give your pet soft food as the gums heal. After 7-10 days you should start a program of brushing your pet's teeth. Toothpaste made for pets should be used. Gradually introduce the brushing program working up to an every other day schedule. This requires effort and patience.

Various dental devices are available to help clean your pet's teeth. You can apply toothpaste into the grooves of some rubber toys for dogs, hence allowing the difficult pet to "brush its own teeth". Nylabones and Booodabones are also helpful in the maintenance of oral hygiene, as are good-quality dog biscuits.

Hill's Prescription Diets produce a diet specifically for the control of tartar in dogs and cats. T/D Diet is suitable for those patients who appear to be at continued high-risk for the build-up of tartar and plaque, despite cleaning and maintenance. This diet is completely balanced for long-term use and would appear to be especially useful in those breeds with genetic susceptibility to dental disease.