Every pet owner dreads being told that their pet needs a dental cleaning. The best thing you can do for your pet's teeth is brush them at home, ideally as part of your daily routine, but at least 3 times a week to make a significant difference. Many dogs and cats will accept this practice and can even come to enjoy it if it is introduced to them properly. You can find videos below detailing how to introduce brushing to your dog or cat. If you have a young puppy or kitten, we recommend waiting to actually start brushing until they have their full set of adult teeth, usually at 6-7 months old. When young animals are actively shedding their "baby" teeth, brushing can be uncomfortable and create negative associations with home dental care.
Video: How to Brush Your Dog's Teeth
Video: How to Brush Your Cat's Teeth
If your pet won't allow you to brush his or her teeth, choosing a prescription dental diet or a dental chew can be helpful. Many chews are on the market and purport to keep your pets' teeth clean, but we recommend you look for one that has some research supporting its claims. A good resource to find the best chews for your pets' dental health is the Veterinary Oral Health Council. Always supervise your pet when he or she is enjoying any dental chew.
Even with routine home dental care, your pet will likely need to have professional dentistry performed at some point. We brush our own teeth twice a day, and our dentist still wants to see us every six months. Small breed dogs and brachycephalic breeds (such as Boxers, Pugs, French Bulldogs, and other “flat-faced” breeds) are particularly prone to dental disease. Dental scaling and polishing, radiographs (X-rays), and tooth extractions are all performed under general anesthesia in veterinary patients. To take radiographs, the patient must be completely still, and not even the most laid-back dog or cat will allow their gums to be probed when they’re awake. Periodontal probing is uncomfortable under normal circumstances, and outright painful if dental disease is present. Our dental packages include pre-anesthetic blood work to make sure that your pet is healthy enough for anesthesia.
Dental disease in our pets is not simply a cosmetic problem. It is a source of chronic pain, infection, and reduced quality of life. Oral pathology usually has to become very advanced before pets show symptoms, because dogs and cats tend to hide pain and illness as long as they can. Signs of dental disease/oral pain in veterinary patients include: excessive drooling, halitosis, dropping food from the mouth, chewing on one side of the mouth, teeth chattering, decreased appetite, lethargy, and reduced interaction with owners. At MVAH, your vet will perform an oral exam on your pet at each visit, and will alert you if your pet would benefit from a dental procedure.
What about anesthesia-free dentistry?
Many clients ask whether we can perform non-anesthetic dentistry (NAD), as they are worried about the potential risks of general anesthesia. This is a procedure in which a pet’s teeth are scaled and polished while the patient is awake. This is problematic for a whole host of reasons. To start, NAD only addresses the visible surface of the teeth, whereas dental disease occurs below the gum line. Painful dental pathology, such as a tooth root abscess, will not be helped by simply scaling and polishing the surface of the tooth.
Additionally, dental radiographs are essential to allow your vet to completely evaluate your pet’s dental health. A tooth can have a painful abscess at the root but the crown can appear completely normal. Obtaining good quality dental radiographs requires the patient to be completely still. The only way to accomplish this in a conscious animal patient is to hold the pet down with brute force. This is extremely stressful for pets and staff, and increases the likelihood of injury for both parties. For these reasons, we do not perform anesthesia-free dentistry and we recommend against pursuing this option for your pet.
Anesthesia is never fully risk-free, but it has come a long way over the last few decades. Please refer to this page for more information on the steps we take to make anesthesia safe for your pet: When Your Pet Needs Anesthesia.
Drs. Bennett and MacKnight are also happy to answer any additional questions you may have.
Video: How to Brush Your Dog's Teeth
Video: How to Brush Your Cat's Teeth
If your pet won't allow you to brush his or her teeth, choosing a prescription dental diet or a dental chew can be helpful. Many chews are on the market and purport to keep your pets' teeth clean, but we recommend you look for one that has some research supporting its claims. A good resource to find the best chews for your pets' dental health is the Veterinary Oral Health Council. Always supervise your pet when he or she is enjoying any dental chew.
Even with routine home dental care, your pet will likely need to have professional dentistry performed at some point. We brush our own teeth twice a day, and our dentist still wants to see us every six months. Small breed dogs and brachycephalic breeds (such as Boxers, Pugs, French Bulldogs, and other “flat-faced” breeds) are particularly prone to dental disease. Dental scaling and polishing, radiographs (X-rays), and tooth extractions are all performed under general anesthesia in veterinary patients. To take radiographs, the patient must be completely still, and not even the most laid-back dog or cat will allow their gums to be probed when they’re awake. Periodontal probing is uncomfortable under normal circumstances, and outright painful if dental disease is present. Our dental packages include pre-anesthetic blood work to make sure that your pet is healthy enough for anesthesia.
Dental disease in our pets is not simply a cosmetic problem. It is a source of chronic pain, infection, and reduced quality of life. Oral pathology usually has to become very advanced before pets show symptoms, because dogs and cats tend to hide pain and illness as long as they can. Signs of dental disease/oral pain in veterinary patients include: excessive drooling, halitosis, dropping food from the mouth, chewing on one side of the mouth, teeth chattering, decreased appetite, lethargy, and reduced interaction with owners. At MVAH, your vet will perform an oral exam on your pet at each visit, and will alert you if your pet would benefit from a dental procedure.
What about anesthesia-free dentistry?
Many clients ask whether we can perform non-anesthetic dentistry (NAD), as they are worried about the potential risks of general anesthesia. This is a procedure in which a pet’s teeth are scaled and polished while the patient is awake. This is problematic for a whole host of reasons. To start, NAD only addresses the visible surface of the teeth, whereas dental disease occurs below the gum line. Painful dental pathology, such as a tooth root abscess, will not be helped by simply scaling and polishing the surface of the tooth.
Additionally, dental radiographs are essential to allow your vet to completely evaluate your pet’s dental health. A tooth can have a painful abscess at the root but the crown can appear completely normal. Obtaining good quality dental radiographs requires the patient to be completely still. The only way to accomplish this in a conscious animal patient is to hold the pet down with brute force. This is extremely stressful for pets and staff, and increases the likelihood of injury for both parties. For these reasons, we do not perform anesthesia-free dentistry and we recommend against pursuing this option for your pet.
Anesthesia is never fully risk-free, but it has come a long way over the last few decades. Please refer to this page for more information on the steps we take to make anesthesia safe for your pet: When Your Pet Needs Anesthesia.
Drs. Bennett and MacKnight are also happy to answer any additional questions you may have.
