Dentistry
Our complete dental cleanings include a thorough tooth-by-tooth examination, ultrasonic scaling to remove plaque, polishing to smooth and clean teeth, a full set of dental radiographs to get a full view of the root of each tooth, and if needed oral surgery to extract compromised teeth and gum surgery to repair the soft tissue.
Preventative Care
Prevention of the most common oral disease in pets consists of frequent removal of the dental plaque and tartar that forms on teeth that are not kept clean. Regularly brushing your pet’s teeth is the single most effective thing you can do to keep their teeth healthy between dental cleanings, and may reduce the frequency or even eliminate the need for periodic dental cleaning by your veterinarian. Daily brushing is best, but it’s not always possible and brushing several times a week can be effective. Most dogs accept brushing, but cats can be a bit more resistant patience and training are important.
There are many pet products marketed with claims that they improve dental health, but not all of them are effective. Check with the Veterinary Oral Health Council to see an approved products list. For more information, please visit www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/pet-dental-care
Comprehensive Dental Cleanings
Our complete dental cleanings include a thorough tooth-by-tooth examination, with a full set of dental radiographs to get a full view of the root of each tooth to identify any problems beneath the gum line. Common painful problems that could be identified with radiographs are broken teeth and roots, periodontal disease, dead teeth, abscesses or infected teeth.
A full cleaning under the gum line where periodontal disease lurks. It would be impossible to clean this area on an awake dog or cat, but this is where periodontal disease begins with bacteria ‘living’ below the gum tissue.
Professional scaling and polishing of the crown or visible part of your dog or cat’s teeth. A veterinary cleaning does require scaling or scraping the tooth to remove plaque and calculus. Scaling is completed to remove plaque and tartar build-up on the tooth crown. Last, the teeth are polished, leaving a completely smooth surface of the tooth, which discourages plaque and bacteria from adhering to the rough tooth surface.
If needed, oral surgery to extract compromised teeth and gum surgery to repair the soft tissue is done at the same time.
