Dental care is necessary to promote optimum health and quality of life for our pets. Diseases of the oral cavity are often painful and can lead to other problems not just in the mouth but in many other parts of the body.
Our pets can have dental issues at all stages of their life. Young animals can have problems with their baby teeth or the alignment of their teeth. Adult dogs can break their teeth when chewing hard bones/toys and often suffer from periodontal disease if their oral hygiene is not maintained. Brushing is the gold standard of oral health care in our pets, just as it is for us, but most pet owners are not aware of this.
Young animals from birth until 9 months of age can have problems with their deciduous (baby) teeth, the most common of which is retained baby teeth. This occurs if the baby teeth are not shed appropriately when the adult teeth are erupting. The adult teeth normally erupt between 4-6 months of age. Most veterinarians recommend spaying/ neutering pets at 6 months of age and their teeth should be assessed at this time. If they have two teeth where there should be one (i.e. 1 baby tooth and the corresponding adult tooth right next to it), the baby tooth should be extracted. If left in place, tartar and debris tend to accumulate very quickly, which leads to an accelerated onset of periodontal disease.
Periodontal disease is defined as the process that begins with gingivitis and progresses, if left untreated, to periodontitis. Periodontitis is the destructive process involving the loss the gums, supportive ligaments, tooth structure and the bone that houses the roots of the teeth. Gums that are swollen and inflamed (gingivitis) combined with chronic infection (periodontal disease) allow bacteria to enter the blood stream where it can seed organs (heart, kidneys, liver etc), which can result in serious infections of these organs.
Periodontal disease can begin as early as 9 months. The onset of this disease can vary greatly with breed, diet and home care. Most small dogs have periodontal disease by 3 years of age!!
Dental cleaning
Before any dental procedure is performed a veterinarian should examine your pet and their anesthetic risk determined.
A complete dental cleaning should be performed at a veterinarian hospital because your pet will have to have a general anesthesia. Anesthesia allows your veterinarian to place an endotracheal tube in the trachea (windpipe) to prevent tartar/bacteria from being inhaled into the lungs and possibly causing a lung infection. Also, the most important part of a dental cleaning is the removal of tartar and plaque from under the gum line; this can simply not be done properly in a conscious pet. Finally the teeth need to be polished, if this step is skipped the microscopic scratches made during the cleaning process will actually provide a rough surface that plaque can more easily adhere too in the future. It is for these reasons that a “non-anesthetic” cleaning is never recommended.
During a cleaning procedure the animal is placed under anesthesia, at which time they are intubated (endotracheal tube is placed into the trachea) and their heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, ECG and temperature are closely monitored. Modern day anesthetics and IV fluids have hugely minimized the risks associated with anesthetic making it very safe. The tartar/plaque is removed from the teeth, the area under the gum line is cleaned, the teeth are polished, a detailed chart of the oral cavity is made and further treatments (dental x-rays, local blocks, extractions, root canals, etc) are performed if indicated. The animal is then allowed to recover and generally can go home the same day as the procedure.
The frequency with which these cleanings are required varies between patients and depends on the anatomy of their mouth, diet and home care (brushing). There is no treat, diet, water additive or bone that is as good for your pets’ oral health as brushing. Ideally we should be brushing our pet’s teeth once daily or a minimum of 5 times per week. Plaque is calcified into tartar over a period or 2-3 days. Plaque can be brushed off, but once it has turned into tartar a professional cleaning is needed to remove it. Cats and dogs who get their teeth brushed daily will need fewer dental cleanings over the course of their life then pets who do not. Generally smaller dogs should have their teeth cleaned earlier and more often because their teeth are more crowded in their mouths and they often develop periodontal disease at an accelerated rate.
A healthy mouth makes for a healthy pet and we can extend the length and the quality of our pets lives by keeping their mouths clean and healthy.
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