Dental Care at Paradise Animal Hospital

How can I tell if my pet has dental disease? The common signs of dental disease are redness of the gums, bad breath, difficult or unequal chewing or facial swelling. You might see brown or tan tartar on the teeth, particularly the molars or even a broken tooth.

Why should my pet have dental cleaning by a veterinarian? Great question! 85% of pets have periodontal disease by three years of age. This disease affects the socket that holds the tooth and contributes to heart, liver and lung disease not to mention bad breath. Preventive oral care can reduce the formation of plaque and help maintain proper oral health throughout a pet’s life.

The bacteria that infect the tissues actually destroy bone as well as soft tissue. A thorough cleaning by a veterinarian removes the plaque and tartar even under the gum line and smoothes out deficits in the enamel that would allow plaque to reattach. Gingivitis is reversible if the infection is treated; bone loss is not. (It is too late for the teeth in this pet’s mouth.) What happens if periodontal disease progresses?

Why does my pet have to be under anesthesia? The scaling and polishing of your pet’s teeth must be performed under general anesthesia because some of the process is painful (or at least uncomfortable). When under an anesthetic, your pet’s airway is protected with an endotracheal tube (breathing tube). This prevents debris from passing into the lungs during the cleaning procedure. All too often, even a young pet can have disease that necessitates an extraction or a root canal to relieve a painful tooth. Cleaning under the gum line (subgingival scaling) is uncomfortable even in healthy tissue. When there is gingivitis or periodontal irritation, it is quite painful and only general anesthesia can prevent that pain to your pet.

Why does my pet stay all day at the hospital? For the average medium sized dog, the actual cleaning takes at least 90 minutes. Polishing, dental X-rays, tooth extractions, periodontal and fluoride treatments all add to the total procedure time. Furthermore, if a pet has extractions a second dose of pain medication is given 6-8 hours after the first injection to ensure a comfortable recovery at home.

What does Paradise Animal Hospital do to keep my pet safe during the anesthesia? All pets undergoing anesthesia at Paradise Animal hospital receive a full physical examination the morning of the procedure. Pre-anesthetic blood work is performed and reviewed. Pre-anesthetic medications are chosen based on the health of the patient, the blood test results and the anticipated procedures.

We place an intravenous catheter in their vein, usually in a front leg, which allows us to provide fluids and medications as necessary to support your pet while under anesthesia. These types of medications allow us to us less anesthetics and to have a smooth recovery. Intravenous Fluid Support

Anesthetic Monitoring During the dental procedure, one technician cleans and polishes teeth while a second specifically monitors your pet’s vital signs. This means we watch and measure blood pressure, blood oxygenation, body temperature, heart rhythm and respiration. Although we use an advanced monitoring device, we always take hands on approach and never rely entirely on the monitor. Because we watch your pet so closely, we are able to respond quickly to even minor changes in their vital signs and keep them safe.

Maintenance Anesthesia We use gas anesthetics for maintenance of anesthesia, so that we can respond immediately to minor changes in the level of anesthesia. This way our patients recover after the procedure as quickly as possible.

Just what do you do during a dental prophylaxis? Each tooth is examined and the gums are probed for disease. The tongue and all surfaces of the mouth and throat are examined.

Initial Examination of the Teeth During the dental procedure, one technician cleans and polishes teeth while a second specifically monitors your pet’s vital signs.

Dental Radiographs We determine if radiographs are needed to determine the health of individual teeth. Digital radiography ensures that we can closely examine teeth for disease that causes pain.

Digital Radiography This digital radiograph shows the lower molars from a canine patient.

Healthy teeth are cleaned and polished. Ultrasonic scaling and sub-gingival hand scaling removes tarter and plaque from above and below the gum line.

Dental extractions Diseased, multi-rooted teeth are cut to allow for elevation and removal of each root separately to reduce trauma to the mouth.

Surgical Closure The gum over the extracted tooth is sutured to close the socket. This prevents pain and hastens healing. The sutures are absorbed by the body as the gum heals and do not need to be removed.

Before and After Finally, all surfaces of the teeth are polished to remove micro-abrasions caused by ultrasonic scaling. Your pet is on its way to a healthy mouth!

Recovery and Home Care A healthy mouth requires some home care as well. When your pet is released from our care we go over all instructions before you leave our office. Since dental care is an ongoing process we are glad to give you help learning how to care for your pets teeth at home.