© North Jersey Veterinary Hospital 2022 Site by The Mystic
Periodontal disease is the most common dental condition in your pets. By three years of age, most dogs and cats will have evidence of disease. Dental disease continues to worsen as your fur babies get older. Early assessment and treatment are imperative to prevent severe dental disease. Severe dental disease not only outwardly affects your pet (bad breath, abscess in mouth, inability to eat) but can cause kidney, liver, and heart disease. Daily food consumption leads to bacteria that hardens on teeth above and below the gum line. The bacteria below the gum line causes an infection that damages the tooth root, jaw bone, and surrounding tissues.
The process begins with a veterinarian’s oral exam of your pet’s mouth. Dental disease is staged on a scale from 0-none to 4-severe. Your fur baby will have blood work before ensuring anesthesia is tolerated well.
Anesthesia is mandatory to allow proper evaluation and cleaning of all surfaces of the teeth. Under anesthesia, all the visible plaque above and below the gum line is removed in a scaling process. The veterinarian will search for pockets of bone loss loose, and broken teeth. Anesthesia also allows digital dental radiographs of all teeth and extractions if needed. Though our fur babies love us, they do not understand enough to hold their mouths open through an entire procedure as a human would.
Although anesthesia will always have risks, the risk of death is less than 1%. Anesthesia is constantly evolving, allowing the benefits to outweigh the potential risks. Please click here to learn more about anesthesia.
In short, anesthesia reduces pain and stress for your pet. Anesthesia reduces the risk of moving your fur baby and allows proper diagnosis and treatment.
More importantly, below the gum line is then assessed via digital dental radiology.
Radiographs (x-rays) are an essential tool in both humans and your fur babies to diagnose disease. We use radiographs to evaluate tooth roots for fractures, abscesses, jaw bone disease, and more. Sadly, significant dental disease is missed in up to 75% of pets due to a lack of X-rays. The bacteria that is the most harmful in contributing to the disease is below the gum line. The gum line cannot be accessed fully without radiographs.
Non-viable removal is recommended once a tooth is found to prevent further damage and disease. Leaving an infected or decaying root can cause the soft tissue and bone surrounding it to become more diseased. This can lead to other complications (pain, abscessation, inappetence).
The act of removing plaque leaves tiny grooves in the teeth. The teeth are polished to smooth the surface and decrease plaque retention. The teeth are treated with fluoride to reduce sensitivity and strengthen enamel. Excess fluoride is washed from the mouth due to potential toxicity if swallowed. A dental Sealant called Sanos can be applied, although a rare possible side effect is a slight yellowing of the teeth.
There are many different options for the management and reduction of dental disease. The most important one is daily brushing. Below are some of the approved dental products. A complete list can be found at VOHC.org.
© North Jersey Veterinary Hospital 2022 Site by The Mystic