An Animal Hospital Serving Maryland

Dog Dental care is a very popular term around the veterinary services industry simply because teeth cleaning for dogs is one of the most administered service of some pet hospitals. The fact is, it's just a small portion of the wide range of veterinary dental services an animal hospital and even clinics provide on a daily basis.

Just think, studies have shown that a full 85% of pets have periodontal disease by age 3 years.

Periodontal Disease In Our Pets

"Perio" means around, "dontal" means tooth: Periodontal disease is disease around the outside of the tooth. This include dog teeth, feline teeth, or giraffe teeth for that matter.

This fact should not be surprising at all, since there is little physical difference our teeth and theirs. We all have "starter teeth" or baby teeth as they are most often referred to. W all have nerves and blood vessels surrounded by dentin then by a layer of enamel.

The enamel is bathed in bacteria filled saliva all day long. If we do not regularly disinfect our mouths and brush away the plaque, the plaque will mineralize into tartar (also called calculus - gritty material that the dental hygienist has to scrape away). This bacteria may eventually damage the tissues of the surrounding teeth and gums, sometimes severely enough to cause jawbone damage and or loss.

There is more to it than that but for the sake of brevity, we'll just say that since animals cannot brush and floss, they need our help. Veterinary dental radiology is one of the tools a pet dentist has at her disposal. Another tool is being able to recommend helpful dog dental chews and other treats.

Cat dental care is actually just now beginning to take more prominence on center stage as cat owners are realizing that their feline friend is not a self-maintained machine, they need healthcare too.

Animal Gingivitis

This is a condition where the gums become inflamed and swollen and is is another disease our pets commonly suffer from. Unlike bone loss from periodontal disease, gingivitis is reversible, therefore having a regular pet dental checkup plays a crucial role in identifying and stopping gingivitis.

Here are 5 home remedy tips that are mostly geared towards dog dental solutions. Do us a favor, don't consider dental home care as an alternative to full dental cleaning if your pet has more advanced dental disease or even if it doesn't. Just remember, there's no substitute for the experienced eye of a dog dentist.

1. Brushing. Studies have shown that brushing three times a week was adequate to maintain healthy teeth and gums but daily brushing was needed to control existing gingivitis
2. Toothpaste. Don't use human toothpaste on your pet
3. Inner surface brushing is not needed. The animal's saliva cleans this surface on its own
4. Do try to perform dental home care at least once daily
5. Don't perform dental home care during the first week after a full dentistry procedure in the hospital as your pet's gums may be tender.

As we mentioned, there's no substitute for regular professional cleanings of your pet's teeth. This should be no surprise since even with all the brushing and flossing that we do, humans still need periodic visits to our dentists in order to remove plaque buildup. The cleanings performed on animals is fairly routine and may include:

• Gross (visible) tartar removal with instruments
• More delicate tartar deposits are removed from the gum line with different instruments
• Periodontal sockets are probed and measured to assess periodontal disease
• The roots are planed, (meaning tartar is scraped from below the gum line) until they are smooth again
• The enamel is polished to remove any unevenness left by tartar removal
• The mouth is disinfected and possibly treated with a fluoride sealer or plaque repellent
• Professional notes are taken on a dental chart, noting abnormalities on each of the dog's 42 teeth, or the cat's 30 teeth.

It's clear that dogs and cats do not have to suffer the pain and discomfort of untreated broken or loose teeth or infected gums. With the help of thorough examinations, x-rays, dental care, and daily brushing, your dog can enjoy teeth free of pain or disease only a good dog dental program can bring.