Keep Those Pearly Whites With Routine Dental Cleaning
There are several products on the market from chew toys to mouth sprays that are promoted to clean your dog’s teeth. While these things will help to keep the plaque off your dog’s teeth between cleanings, they cannot remove the tartar that has already hardened and bonded to your pet’s teeth. Nor can they provide the proper and detailed cleaning of the gums that a veterinarian can. That is because to really clean a dog’s teeth the pet will need to be fully anesthetized so we can get into all the cracks and crevices and actually check out the condition of the teeth and gums as we clean.
Our dental cleaning for your dog is a lot like a full dental cleaning at your dentist. We will use an ultrasonic scaler to remove the existing tartar and also clear out any pockets of debris that may collect between the teeth. After this, the entire upper and lower teeth undergo a good polishing and finally a fluoride treatment. This is a very delicate procedure, even with a well-behaved dog, so anesthesia is the only viable option for your pet’s comfort and safety. To ensure your pet’s safety, our professional staff will continuously monitor your dog from the time we administer the anesthesia to the time of full recovery.
Before using anesthesia we will always run a blood test on your dog to check for any physiological abnormalities. If any are discovered we adjust the anesthesia protocol to accommodate any concerns. We always discuss this with you and provide information on any possible risks that can occur.
In some cases we may find that a tooth is damaged in some way or broken off at the gum. The tooth, or what remains, is carefully examined to see if it can be saved. In some situations we can treat a damaged tooth with antibiotic impregnated cement that allows the tooth to rebond to the jaw. This saves the tooth and is always our first consideration. If the tooth is too far gone to save we will extract the tooth, allowing the dog to eat and chew with comfort rather than pain.
Our staff is always willing to talk to dog owners about dental hygiene. A good home routine can cut down on the number of full cleanings that your dog may require. This is also a great way to check your dog’s teeth and gums on a regular basis and help us to identify any possible dental issues before they become painful problems.
Home dental hygiene is always best, but not every pet allows you to brush their teeth. We have videos on our website to show you the best way to begin a new dental care routine, and there are several dog flavor toothpastes at your local pet store that are fluoride free and safe for consumption.