Veterinary dentistry is a rapidly growing area of veterinary science. We have seen a greater awareness, of vet dental health over the last 25 years of its importance to the overall health of the animals we treat. Not every veterinarian has a special interest in Veterinary dentistry.
Just like humans, pets’ teeth need looking after too! The health of their teeth and gum's has a significant impact on their overall quality of life. Imagine how your mouth would feel, and smell, if you never brushed your teeth. Imagine having a really bad toothache and not being able to tell anyone about it! -
Specialist Veterinary Dentist,
Dental disease begins with a build up of bacteria in your pet’s mouth. Bacteria, combined with saliva and food debris, can cause plaque to accumulate on the tooth. As calcium salts are deposited, plaque turns to tartar (brown or yellow material starting near the gum line of the tooth). Without proper preventive or therapeutic care, plaque and tartar build-up leads to periodontal disease, which affects the tissues and structures supporting the teeth. Periodontal disease can cause oral pain, tooth loss and even heart or kidney problems.
Common signs of dental disease, are usually not noticed by the pet owner and include:
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Yellow-brown tartar around the gumline
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Red gums
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Broken teeth
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Bad breath
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Change in eating or chewing habits (especially in cats)
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Pawing at the face or mouth
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Excessive drooling
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Pain or bleeding when you touch the gums or mouth
If your pet is showing any of these signs of dental disease please book an appointment to see our Veterinary Dentist
How can I prevent Pet dental disease?
Long-term control and prevention of dental disease requires regular home care. The best way to begin this is to accustom your pet from an early age. Dental home care may include:
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Brushing teeth daily – just like us! This is the best form of dental hygiene. Pet toothbrushes and toothpaste are now available. Please do not use human toothpaste formulas on your pet as they are not designed to be swallowed and may be toxic.
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Feed pets raw meaty bones or special dental diets. This can help reduce the accumulation of tartar.
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Use dental toys, enzymatic chews, or teeth cleaning biscuits, all of which may help keep the teeth clean.
Regular and frequent attention to your pet's teeth may avoid the need for a professional dental clean under anesthetic, and will also improve your pet's overall health.
What does a professional dental clean involve?
It is the same as a scale and polish done by a dentist for us. However, unlike us, our pets won’t sit still or open their mouth to allow a comprehensive cleaning of their teeth. For this reason our pets need to have a general anesthetic for a professional dental clean. Your pet will need to be assessed by one of our dental trained veterinarians. The degree of dental disease will be assessed to determine if extractions, antibiotics, periodontal therapy, dental restorations etc and anti-inflammatory will be required.
The assessment may also include a physical exam, blood tests and urine tests to ensure they are healthy prior to having an anesthetic. Once anesthetized, we can give the teeth a thorough examination and a Vet dental cleaning using our specialized dental equipment. When your pet goes home we will also discuss methods of reducing dental disease in the future.
If you have any questions about dental care or professional veterinary cleaning please do not hesitate to contact us.
In about 1995 Dr Phil and Dr Johan Joubert opened a animal dental veterinary clinic . It was the only referral veterinary dental clinic in South Africa for number of years. Being the only veterinary dental clinic we had the opportunity to treat incredible diversity of canine dental patients. We treated a lot of pet dogs for dental disease . Please call for a dental consult, or second advice.
Pepper 2.5 year old 8 kg dog just had a Veterinary Dental on 28/02/2019 with most of his upper Pre-Molar removed - lucky Pet to have a clean pain free mouth !! Dr Phil Has enjoyed doing Veterinary Dentistry for for over 25 years.
Click on the dental link below