Dentistry
Animals need dental care just as we do. If your animal suffers from any of these symptoms then it may need to be checked for dental disease:
- Halitosis (bad breath)
- Chewing on one side only
- Loss of ability to chew hard foods
- Difficulty picking up or chewing foods
Many animals, as they advance in age, develop a layer of plaque on their teeth. This hardens in combination with minerals present in saliva to become a solid layer over the tooth called calculus or tartar. Bacteria are present in both plaque and tartar and they produce enzymes, which lead to inflammation of the surrounding gums - gingivitis.
With time, this problem can lead to infection around the ligament that holds the tooth in place. This condition, periodontitis, can eventually lead to loss of support for the tooth and loose teeth or tooth loss.
Although this scenario sounds rather drastic, periodontal disease affects more than half of pets over the age of 4 years, making it one of the most common problems we encounter. In order to prevent or at least to slow this course we advise the following:
- Avoid soft, canned diets as these foods stick between the teeth and allow bacteria to grow
- Try to buy a good quality, premium dry food that makes reference to oral hygiene. These foods have a larger kibble that need to be chewed
- Encourage chewing. The best method for keeping your pets teeth clean is to regularly feed them raw, meaty bones, for example chicken necks or brisket bone. Dogs' and cats' teeth are designed to chew through bone and muscle and this chewing activity helps to sweep the plaque off the teeth
- Always start gradually when introducing bones into the diet and remember that all bones must be RAW
- If your pet does not like raw bones Greenies are an excellent alternative!
For small puppies and kittens raw chicken necks are a good start, then once they are larger, try chicken wings. Large dogs can be given brisket bones or lamb shanks.
We can scale and polish teeth that are affected by plaque or tartar. A manual scaler is used to remove large pieces of tartar as well as plaque above the gum line, then an ultrasonic dental scaler removes small tartar deposits.
The teeth are polished after scaling. Polishing creates a smooth tooth surface to which plaque cannot adhere.
Regular scaling can prevent periodontal disease and tooth loss. However, sometimes teeth are already badly affected and may be loose or have the sensitive, internal tissues exposed. These teeth may need to be extracted.
Cats can suffer from very painful lesions of the teeth known as odontoclastic or resorptive lesions. These small holes develop in the enamel at the gum line and cause pain when eating. These teeth need to be removed. Cats can eat normally after the loss of some teeth.
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