Routine dental care is integral to every pet’s quality of life. Your veterinarian will look for evidence of dental diseases–such as plaque buildup, gingivitis, receding gum lines, mobility of teeth, root exposure, and bone loss around the root–and let you know if a professional dental cleaning is recommended. This would include thoroughly cleaning and scaling teeth, X-rays, and performing any necessary extractions while your pet is under anesthesia.

Q: Why is a professional pet dental cleaning important?

A: Mouths are a fantastic environment for bacterial growth. Bacterial colonies thrive in the warm moist spaces between teeth, using your pet’s food debris as their own food source. As the bacteria multiply, they create a soft layer called plaque. This plaque will calcify over time and bond to the tooth surface, forming tartar. Owners can remove plaque with daily tooth brushing or dental chews, but tartar can only be removed with a professional dental cleaning.

Why are plaque and tartar harmful? These bacterial colonies collect along the gum-line, and over time will cause inflammation called gingivitis. The gums will swell, turn red, and even bleed. Without intervention, gingivitis can worsen into periodontal disease. This more advanced form of dental disease can cause infection, pain, and eventual tooth loss. This is why we recommend professionally cleaning the surface of your pet’s teeth- to clear away tartar and preserve the gums. If an infection has taken hold in a specific tooth, we may need to remove (extract) the tooth to relieve pain and keep the infection from spreading.

The same bacteria that cause gingivitis and periodontal disease can also be carried into the bloodstream and cause damage to your pet’s kidneys, heart, liver, and other organs. Regular dental cleanings remove plaque and tartar and prevent gingivitis and periodontal disease.

A: The frequency of professional dental cleanings depends on your pet’s age, breed, and individual genetics. Small-breed dogs often need more frequent dental care because their teeth are closer together in smaller mouths. This crowding can make it easier for plaque and tartar to collect along the gumline. Large-breed dogs are more likely to fracture teeth because their jaws are more powerful and can create enough force to crack a tooth while chewing on hard objects. Breed is also a major factor, with breeds like Yorkies and Chihuahuas being significantly more prone to dental disease.

We do not recommend dental cleanings based on an arbitrary timeline. Instead, we base our recommendations on your pet’s oral exam findings. We check teeth and gums at every annual visit, and we will let you know when a professional cleaning is needed. Some pets will need a cleaning as young as 3 years old, and then again every 1-2 years after. Other pets can wait until 5 or 6 years of age, and can go 3 years between cleanings. We weigh the cost and risk of the procedure against the benefit of preventing pain, infection, and tooth loss for every pet.

Our Dog & Cat Teeth Cleaning Process

1. 

   Because anesthesia is required to keep your pet still during the cleaning, we first perform a thorough physical exam and blood work to ensure that your pet is healthy before we begin. These tests also help us develop an anesthetic protocol that is specific for your pet.

2. Once anesthesia is administered, we take X-rays of the whole mouth to check the root structure of the teeth. This is part of how we identify if any teeth need to be extracted during the cleaning.

3. The veterinarian then performs any extractions as necessary.
4. Then we use ultrasonic equipment to clean each tooth above and below the gum line and finish the procedure by polishing the teeth.
5. We observe your pet as they wake up from anesthesia while keeping them warm and comfortable. Once they are awake, we will call you to let you know how the procedure went, and to give owners any after-care instructions.

Symptoms of Pet Dental Problems

How can you tell if your pet is having dental trouble. Some signs to watch for would include:

• Stops eating regularly or drops food while eating
• Paws or rubs its face
• Bad breath
• Swelling under one eye

Tips for Pet Dental Care

Brushing

Plaque forms in as little as six hours after your pet’s dental cleaning. To prevent tartar accumulation after the procedure, home dental care, including regular tooth brushing is a must. Brushing your dog or cat’s teeth at the end of each day will help to remove all bacteria from food that they have eaten during the day, before it can start to cause damage.

Chew Toys

We don’t recommend giving your dog hoofs or antlers for chewing, as they can break teeth. If you are going to give your dog something to chew on, do the nail test: if you can indent the surface of the object with your fingernail, it should be soft enough to give to your pet.

Diet

For cats and dogs, there is a special diet called T/D which may be recommended to encourage better dental health. T/D foods are used to prevent tartar buildup and gingivitis. Our nutritional counseling services can help determine if your pet’s diet may be affecting their dental health.

Cat and Dog Dental Cleaning Services

If your pet has bad breath, is having difficulty chewing, or is refusing to eat his or her normal food, contact My Best Friend Veterinary Center today. We can examine your pet’s mouth and teeth and get your pet’s dental health in tip-top condition!