Dentistry

We should keep the teeth and mouth of our pets clean and healthy; to be diligent of oral hygiene we must brush the teeth of our pets daily. Inadequate dental hygiene results in an accumulation of bacteria on the tooth and gums and the accumulation of plaque and tartar. Your pet will quickly suffer from bad breath and worse, gingivitis (gum infection), a very common condition. If applicable, your faithful companion will need to receive dental care. Groomers might offer customers to scratch clean the teeth to go with their new hair cuts. Unfortunately the scratching of the enamel will produce microgrooves and will cause rapid bacterial colonization. The result will be the reformation of plaque and tartar. That is why it is essential to always provide a good polishing of the tooth after scaling. And if your dog or cat is suffering from gingivitis, periodontitis (inflammation and infection of the gums), dental abscess, gingival hyperplasia, tooth fracture or pulp exposure, the groomer will not have the knowledge to inform you. So resist the temptation to simply scratch the teeth and do not hesitate to entrust us with the health of your dog’s mouth. At each exam the veterinarian will examen the mouth as a part of the over all well being of your pet. Should your pet require, we have the ability to perform a full dental cleaning/prophylaxis, the same treatment you would receive with your dental hygienist.

A dental prophylaxis is a complete dental examination by the vet, cleaning and polishing of teeth under general anesthesia and in some cases additional dental care is required. Our clinic is equipped with the latest technologies, a new prophylaxis machine, and a new state of the art digital dental x-ray. The digital x-ray is an excellent aid for the vet to uncover any cavities or other diseases of the mouth we can otherwise not see with our naked eye. Not too many clinics can provide this procedure for your pet. Our technicians and veterinarians are specially train to take the x-rays and interpret their results.

After a dental prophylaxis it is important to keep up with the oral health of your pet. It will include a oral health plan that our technician will happily go over with you, they are often simple tasks to perform at home (brushing teeth) or a suggestion of a change in diet.

To summarize: Monitoring the oral health of your pet throughout his life, periodic dental prophylaxis as needed and brushing teeth daily. In pets, dental problems may escalate quickly and will compromise his normal diet and over all health. Thus, the accumulation of dental plaque leads to the progressive destruction of periodontitis (tissue around the tooth), dental abscesses and the possible loss of the tooth formation. The infection can also cause damage to the jaws and other organs such as the heart and kidneys.

We are able to provide your pet with a full assessment of his state of health and dental plan and follow-up care.