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Dental Care
Spotting signs of dental disease
Most pets, especially dogs and cats will experience dental issues at some point in their lives and especially as they age. Dental disease isn’t always obvious, which is why it’s best to have a yearly dental check with a vet.
Most pets, especially dogs and cats will experience dental issues at some point in their lives and especially as they age. Dental disease isn’t always obvious, which is why it’s best to have a yearly dental check with a vet.
Peridontal Disease
This is a painful condition and is the most common problem in dogs and cats. Just like in people, it’s caused by the build up of bacteria in plaque on teeth. This happens above and below the gum line where it can cause damage to both the teeth, soft tissues and bone around the teeth. Left unchecked, apart from tooth loss, the bacteria can cause damage to major organs like the heart and kidneys.
This is a painful condition and is the most common problem in dogs and cats. Just like in people, it’s caused by the build up of bacteria in plaque on teeth. This happens above and below the gum line where it can cause damage to both the teeth, soft tissues and bone around the teeth. Left unchecked, apart from tooth loss, the bacteria can cause damage to major organs like the heart and kidneys.
Feline Tooth Resorption
Around half of cats will suffer from this painful degenerative condition, which leads to tooth loss. With reabsorption, teeth are slowly eroded, leaving just a lesion on the gum which causes extreme pain. Affected teeth may look relatively normal until probed, which is why we recommend examination by a vet. Signs of this condition include, problems eating, drooling, vomiting and bad breath. For a proper diagnosis, cats will need to be anaesthetised, examined and have x-rays of the whole mouth.
Around half of cats will suffer from this painful degenerative condition, which leads to tooth loss. With reabsorption, teeth are slowly eroded, leaving just a lesion on the gum which causes extreme pain. Affected teeth may look relatively normal until probed, which is why we recommend examination by a vet. Signs of this condition include, problems eating, drooling, vomiting and bad breath. For a proper diagnosis, cats will need to be anaesthetised, examined and have x-rays of the whole mouth.
Dental Checks
One of our experienced vets performs all our dental checks. They will assess the level of your pet’s dental needs, grading them depending on the severity of decay and the level of treatment needed. Lower gradings may require just a scale and polish, while the higher ones would need surgery and extractions. If your pet is going to be anaesthetised we’ll usually recommend that we do x-rays of the entire mouth to check for unseen issues and to enable us to give a comprehensive diagnosis of their issues. Following any dental treatment, to keep teeth healthy we recommend that you brush your pet’s teeth daily. Prescription food and chews can also help keep dental disease in check.
One of our experienced vets performs all our dental checks. They will assess the level of your pet’s dental needs, grading them depending on the severity of decay and the level of treatment needed. Lower gradings may require just a scale and polish, while the higher ones would need surgery and extractions. If your pet is going to be anaesthetised we’ll usually recommend that we do x-rays of the entire mouth to check for unseen issues and to enable us to give a comprehensive diagnosis of their issues. Following any dental treatment, to keep teeth healthy we recommend that you brush your pet’s teeth daily. Prescription food and chews can also help keep dental disease in check.