January 2012, Aubrey, LVT

Dental disease is the most commonly diagnosed disease in cats and dogs.  If dental disease is left untreated it can significantly affect your pets health. Your veterinarian determines dental disease, having yearly exams for your pets can help in insuring that your pets dental health is not going untreated. One thing you can do at home is look at your pets’ teeth to see if there is any obvious tartar, swelling of the gums, or broken or cracked teeth. If you notice any of those issues you can schedule an appointment with a veterinarian to have a dental cleaning on your pet. A dental cleaning is an anesthetic procedure. Once your pet is under anesthesia the licensed veterinary technician useses an ultrasonic-scaler to remove any tartar and build up from the teeth. Once the teeth are cleaned the veterinarian uses an instrument called a dental probe, which measures the depth of the gum line to insure there is no pocketing where bacteria can be trapped.  Once the teeth are examined and there are no teeth to be extracted, the licensed veterinarian will polish the teeth with a prophy paste to smooth down any rough spots on the teeth. Having regular exams to check the health of your pet cannot only keep your pets healthy but it can also help prevent your pets from having to have dental extractions. Dental extractions are recommended if a tooth appears to be broken, infected, or causing pain. It is best to have dental x-rays done with a dental procedure which we can do while your pet is under anesthesia. The month of February we are offering 10% off our dental packages as well as dental x-rays! Schedule a pre dental exam and keep those pets teeth clean!

Aubrey, LVT