Dental Care for Cats & Dogs: Advanced Dentistry in Dartmouth
Most people understand that dental care is instrumental in their overall health. Unfortunately, many pet owners are not told of the importance of canine dental care and feline dental care as part of total veterinary care in Massachusetts. Dental disease is very common in both cats and dogs. If left untreated, there are many side effects that can impact your pet’s life, leading to all sorts of diseases, conditions, and ailments as they grow older. Regular dental care and, in some cases, advanced dentistry in Dartmouth, can be critical to your pet’s health and might even reduce their lifespan if their dental problems are bad enough.
What You Can Do
When you bring your pet to Anchor Animal Hospital for a veterinary check-up, we also perform a wellness inspection that includes looking for tartar, bad teeth, and rotten breath. While most dogs have bad breath due to their behaviors and habits, if a dog has foul-smelling breath, it could be a symptom of serious disease. Most dogs and cats do not like to have their mouths looked at, but a quick check with our friendly vet can provide pet owners with valuable information about the status of their pet’s teeth. We will likely suggest that you begin a regimen of teeth brushing at home and provide you with information about regular cleanings and the value of dental being included with veterinary care in Massachusetts.
Studies show that more than 70 percent of cats and dogs will have some degree of dental disease by the time they are just three years of age. That means the sooner you start providing canine dental care or feline dental care, the better. Dental disease can cause the same problems in pets as it does in people – bad breath, a painful mouth, difficulty eating, and lethargy. When left untreated, dental issues can also result in complications for serious conditions like heart or kidney disease. Brushing your pet’s teeth at home can slow down the development of plaque, and it can also help to maintain healthy teeth and gums in between professional cleanings.
What to Expect
If you have never brought your pet in for advanced dentistry in Dartmouth, you need to know what to expect. A routine cleaning does require your pet to be put under anesthesia to allow for proper evaluation. Even if your dog is good about letting you brush their teeth at home, they will still need anesthesia at the veterinary clinic. In addition to an exam and x-rays, we also provide cleaning, polishing, and fluoride treatment of the teeth. We continuously monitor your pet while the evaluation and services are being performed with highly trained staff members and a cutting edge multi-parameter machine. This machine provides us with essential data, including end-tidal CO2, heart and respiratory rates, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, and body temperature.
Pets that are older than seven years of age are required to undergo a pre-anesthetic blood screening. We recommend this for pets of all ages, but do require it for our senior patients. This test allows our team to be aware of any potential problems so we can plan accordingly. We establish an individual anesthetic protocol for your pet based on their age, weight, breed, health, and other unique parameters. Our veterinary team also uses this information to provide the best possible pain relief options for a smooth recovery following the procedure. We take canine dental care and feline dental care very seriously and work to prescribe a unique plan of action for each pet based on their individual needs.
What We Do With the Data
The information that is collected during the visual exam and comprehensive evaluation is used to determine your pet’s dental pathology. We chart for things like tartar, gingivitis, mobility, and other conditions that could impact their overall dental health. We recommend that each patient take advantage of the option to undergo full mouth digital radiographs during every dental procedure to inspect the sub-gingival health of the teeth. As with humans, approximately 70 percent of the tooth exists below the gum line where it cannot be seen. Radiographs allow our veterinarians to examine the complete tooth and create a treatment plan for diseased teeth.
In addition, we also offer laser therapy for our patients who require advanced dentistry in Dartmouth. Therapy lasers are used to offer treatments that can reduce pain after extractions, reduce inflammation caused by gingivitis, and speed the healing process following other dental procedures. Some of our patients even receive monthly maintenance treatments with lasers to slow or reverse painful gingivitis and slow the formation of tartar. Our facility is equipped with a state-of-the-art digital dental x-ray unit and the latest equipment to provide our patients with the very best in dental and veterinary care in Massachusetts.
Call our team to schedule an appointment for a veterinary check-up for canine dental care or feline dental care by calling 508-996-3731. We can answer any questions you might have about advanced dentistry in Dartmouth at Anchor Animal Hospital.