Dentistry- A pet with healthy mouth is a happy pet!

Assessment and treatment of oral disease

Prevention of oral disease:

• Providing pet owners with techniques for preventative dental care for their pets
• Instruction in routine, regular dental homecare for your pet
• Feeding tips to help prevent dental disease

Treatment of dental disease:

• Removal of plaque and tartar from the teeth
• Treatment of gum disease
• Extraction of damaged or severely diseased teeth
• Referral to veterinary dental specialists for specialized treatment such as root canals and crowns.

Oral healthcare for our pets is an important life-long, part of maintaining overall health. Similar to the care of our own teeth, bacteria produce plaque and tarter from food residues in the mouth, that must be controlled and removed to avoid oral and dental disease.

Dental disease has a profound affect on an animal’s quality of life:

• Tartar and associated bacteria accumulate in the mouth, causing inflammation & destruction of structures around the teeth.
• Dental disease is painful. 
• Bacteria from the mouth can access the general circulation, causing disease in other vital organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys.
• An animal’s ability to chew without discomfort and decreased sense of smell are additional casualties of dental disease.

Assessments of oral health start with working to help promote every pet tolerating having its mouth examined. The goal is to be able to regularly assess your pet’s mouth and to enable you to provide regular oral homecare.

Starting early, patience and using positive reinforcement are keys to success. We encourage every pet owner to actively work toward this goal and we provide individual instruction and tips to achieve it

A good diet, access to a continuous supply of fresh water and encouraging healthy chewing are important contributors to optimal oral health.

An oral exam is a part of all annual examinations. If dental disease is present, the earlier it is detected, the faster it can be controlled, preventing serious, advanced deterioration of teeth and gums.

Cleaning and polishing the teeth is a procedure done under general anesthetic.

General anesthetic is required to

• Allow prolonged access to the patient’s mouth.
• Allow correct use of dental instruments
• Full Mouth Dental X-rays
• Prevent undue patient stress
• Decrease the time required for the dental procedure
• Assess if further care is required and complete further treatment if required.

Oral Radiographs assess disease of the root and bone structures. Our digital X-ray provides us with safe, high quality images , facilitating assessment and treatment..

Diseased teeth are often removed, a service we offer.

If a tooth is damaged , but is amenable to treatment, we can refer you to dental specialists for treatment such as root canals, bridges, and other structural therapies.