February is National Pet Dental Health Month
02/03/2015
Here is your reminder!
Maintaining the dental health of animals requires a bit of extra effort on our part, but it’s really not as bad as it seems. Regular toothbrushing decreases plaque build-up which causes tartar and periodontal disease to develop. Daily brushing is ideal, 2-3 times a week would be great, weekly is better than nothing. The enzymes in animal toothpastes help to do some of the work breaking down the plaque, so just getting the flavored enzymatic toothpaste on the teeth is accomplishing something! The biggest hurdle is creating that habit for yourself and getting your animal used to the idea by going slow and keeping it a positive experience.
Cats have their own special dental condition to watch out for called “feline tooth resorption”. Occasionally cats will develop this inflammatory condition where their teeth actually “dissolve,” often below the gumline first so we don’t see it. The tooth root is exposed and this is very painful and cats will sometimes chatter their teeth when you touch them in these spots. These teeth usually need to be removed as treatment. You may notice your cat having trouble eating, but surprisingly, they will sometimes continue to eat and it can be hard to notice a problem until it has really progressed.
Regular physical exams, including checking the mouth are important to identify dental problems—the first sign, really, is bad breath. An animal with bad breath may very well have dental disease going on including infection along the gumline. The primary treatment for this is dental cleaning under anesthesia. Dental radiographs are often necessary to identify problem teeth that may need removal or other treatments.
Some animals, just like some people, have worse dental problems than others and need more frequent dental cleaning. As a housecall veterinarian, this is not a service that I offer, but I frequently recommend having it done at a local clinic to keep your animal’s teeth as healthy as possible. During February, many clinics are offering discounts on dental products and thorough cleaning under anesthesia. Now is the time to make that call if you’ve been putting it off!
And to come full circle, home dental care including brushing and dental treats is a great preventative if you want to reduce costs on dental cleaning while maintaining your animal’s general health.
Here is a link to my “Dental Care” page for more resources.
Maintaining the dental health of animals requires a bit of extra effort on our part, but it’s really not as bad as it seems. Regular toothbrushing decreases plaque build-up which causes tartar and periodontal disease to develop. Daily brushing is ideal, 2-3 times a week would be great, weekly is better than nothing. The enzymes in animal toothpastes help to do some of the work breaking down the plaque, so just getting the flavored enzymatic toothpaste on the teeth is accomplishing something! The biggest hurdle is creating that habit for yourself and getting your animal used to the idea by going slow and keeping it a positive experience.
Cats have their own special dental condition to watch out for called “feline tooth resorption”. Occasionally cats will develop this inflammatory condition where their teeth actually “dissolve,” often below the gumline first so we don’t see it. The tooth root is exposed and this is very painful and cats will sometimes chatter their teeth when you touch them in these spots. These teeth usually need to be removed as treatment. You may notice your cat having trouble eating, but surprisingly, they will sometimes continue to eat and it can be hard to notice a problem until it has really progressed.
Regular physical exams, including checking the mouth are important to identify dental problems—the first sign, really, is bad breath. An animal with bad breath may very well have dental disease going on including infection along the gumline. The primary treatment for this is dental cleaning under anesthesia. Dental radiographs are often necessary to identify problem teeth that may need removal or other treatments.
Some animals, just like some people, have worse dental problems than others and need more frequent dental cleaning. As a housecall veterinarian, this is not a service that I offer, but I frequently recommend having it done at a local clinic to keep your animal’s teeth as healthy as possible. During February, many clinics are offering discounts on dental products and thorough cleaning under anesthesia. Now is the time to make that call if you’ve been putting it off!
And to come full circle, home dental care including brushing and dental treats is a great preventative if you want to reduce costs on dental cleaning while maintaining your animal’s general health.
Here is a link to my “Dental Care” page for more resources.