VETERINARY SERVICES
Pet Dentistry
Dental disease is one of the most common diseases in cats and dogs in Enfield and surrounds. Not only is dental disease painful for your pet, but long standing, untreated dental disease can cause significant damage to other organs as dental bacteria can travel through the blood-stream and cause generalised ill health – not to mention the smell!
Most owners perceive their dog as having the dreaded “doggy (or cat!) breath” however, this smell can indicate dental disease which can be very uncomfortable for your pet. More than 85% of dogs and cats older than four years have periodontal disease.
A scale and polish when dental disease is mild or moderate can reverse most if not all of the harm caused by tartar. Sometimes it is better to act early rather than leave the teeth to get worse.
We also promote teeth brushing. Prevention is better than cure! Humans have 32 teeth while dogs have 42. Our teeth are small and theirs are large. Most people will brush their teeth for two minutes every morning and evening. Even with this their dentists will scale and polish their teeth every 6-12 months. We need to apply the same logic to our pets. Without brushing (and a minute everyday should help alot!), our pet’s teeth will inevitably get plaque, tartar and periodontal disease.
How do I know if my pet has dental disease?
Lift up your pet’s lip, and if you see a build-up of tartar and plaque, it may be best you make an appointment for our vets to check your pet’s teeth.
Watch out for:
- smelly breath
- drooling or dropping food from their mouth
- a loss of appetite
- weight loss
If your pet is showing any of these signs, please call and make an appointment for a dental check. If the vet finds that the problem is only mild, you may be able to take care of your pet’s dental needs yourself by doing something as simple as changing your pet’s diet or by starting a program of regular teeth brushing. On the other hand, if the dental problem is severe, your vet may have to do a thorough cleaning, or extraction of severely diseased teeth.
This dental cleaning MUST be done under general anaesthetic. We cannot expect a cat or dog to lie still enough to correctly clean their teeth or remove rotten teeth.
“Anaesthesia free” dentals cannot hope to get under your pets gum line enough to remove all the plaque and tartar, not to mention how stressful it must be for your animal. Teeth can also not be removed without anaesthesia and adequate pain relief.
Call Enfield Veterinary Hospital to arrange a dental checkup today: