02/12/2025
SAY CHEESE! It’s National Pet Dental Health Awareness Month!
As a part of our commitment to providing the best care for your beloved pets, we want to highlight some important tips for maintaining their dental health.
Pet dental health is a cornerstone of your furry companion's overall well-being. Just as oral hygiene impacts human health, your pet's dental care directly affects their quality of life and longevity.
How can you take care of your pet’s teeth at home?
🐾 Tooth brushing
🐾 Dental chews
🐾 Water additives
What are the signs of dental disease in pets?
🐾 Bad breath
🐾 Excessive drooling
🐾 Discolored teeth
🐾 Red & swollen gums
🐾 Tilting of the head to eat or eating only on one side
🐾 Nasal discharge
🐾 Facial swelling
What happens during a professional preventative dental cleaning?
🐾 Oral Exam- The doctor will examine your pet’s mouth, looking for dental disease signs and any abnormalities.
🐾 Blood Work- A professional dental cleaning requires anesthesia, so the veterinary team will perform blood work to ensure your pet has no underlying health issues that would complicate the procedure.
🐾 Anesthesia- An intravenous (IV) catheter will be placed to induce anesthesia. Monitoring your pet closely throughout the procedure until they are fully recovered.
🐾 Dental X-rays- More than 50% of a tooth’s structure is below the gumline and can only be seen on x-rays.
🐾 Teeth Scaling- Using a specialized dental instrument to remove plaque and tartar from the tooth surface above and below the gumline.
🐾 Polishing- Scaling leaves microabrasions on the tooth surface, polishing the teeth will ensure that no bacteria will adhere to those lesions.
🐾 Periodontal Probing- The doctor will probe around each tooth, looking for any abnormally deep areas and pockets.
For more information, visit https://www.aaha.org/resources/your-pets-dental-care/
