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DENTAL HYGIENE
PERIDONTAL DISEASE IS A MAJOR HEALTH RISK FOR YOUR PET!
- It is the most common disease in small animal practice.
- It is PAINFUL. Most frequently, pets with oral pain "suffer in silence".
- It is PREVENTABLE (the term for prevention is "prophylaxis").
- Treatment is a catch-up game to get problems under control when there may already be permanent damage to the oral cavity or internal organs.
Pets with routine dental care typically live longer and healthier lives. Pets with dental disease constantly release bacteria from their mouth into their bloodstream (i.e. bacteremia), resulting in inflammatory changes in the heart, liver, and kidney tissue in an otherwise healthy animal. This problem may be exacerbated in pets that already have other existing disease.
- Gingivitis: inflammation of the gingival (i.e. gum line) only.
- Periodontitis: inflammation and disease of all the structures that support the teeth.
- Plaque: a "biofilm" consisting of 80% bacteria and bacterial toxins, 20% cellular debris and food remnants. It is plaque (especially below the gum line) that causes gingivitis and periodontitis.
- Calculus (i.e. tartar): is mineralized plaque that cannot be brushed off.
Dr. Diffey may give you a dental report for your pet at his/her examination.
This is to help you understand what level of dental disease your pet has and what treatment is necessary to minimize progression of oral discomfort and disease:
 No sign of plaque or calculus.
Only home care needed to take care of these healthy teeth and gums! Brushing your pet's teeth regularly (3-4 times per week) is ideal. There are also products available to help make home dental care easier if brushing is not an option.
 STAGE 1 - Mild gingivitis
The margin of attached gum is inflamed and swollen. Plaque covers the teeth. Home dental care is needed. If there is no improvement, dental cleaning is needed with the next year to remove current plaque buildup.
 STAGE 2 - Moderate Gingivitis
The entire gum line is inflammed and swollen.. The mouth is painful and odor is noticeable. Dental cleaning to remove calculus is needed within the next month. A calculus control diet and/or home dental care are needed afterward for prevention.
 STAGE 3 - Severe Gingivitis
The gums are cherry red and bleeding - they are damaged by infection and calculus. A sore mouth and bad breath are evident. Dental cleaning to remove calculus is needed immediately. A calculus control diet and/or home dental care are needed afterward to prevent reoccurence.
 STAGE 4 -
Chronic infection is destroying the gums, teeth, and bone. Bacteria are spreading through the body via the bloodstream and may damage kidneys, liver, and heart. Dental cleaning to remove calculus is needed immediately. Some teeth may be loose and need extraction. Home dental care afterward is necessary for future prevention.
Heavy tartar buildup, infection, and even tooth loss can now be greatly reduced conveniently.
Now there is no need to feel guilty if you are not able to (or your pet will not let you) brush your pet's teeth on a regular basis.
This new advancement in dental hygiene can prevent animal loss of teeth while at the same time saving you hundreds of dollars from advanced periodontal disease or other internal organ disease. The Porphyromonas vaccine aids in the prevention of canine periodontitis as demonstrated by a reduction of bone changes. Periodontitis, the most common bacterial infection in dogs, can lead to long-term effects such as tooth loss if left untreated. When used as part of a complete dental care program, you can be confident knowing ou are providing the best care for your dog.
DENTAL PROPHYLAXIS
Much attention has been focused on veterinary dentistry in the last year. Research clearly shows that proper dental care is probably the most important thing that you can do to add years of length and quality life for your pet.
Pet dental care is important because:
- Gum infections hurt!!!
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Gum and teeth disease lead to other infections such as endocarditis (heart valve infection) and kidney infections. The bacteria in the mouth can even be a patential source of human infections.
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Your pet will be much more pleasant to be around with no "bad breath."
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It will save you a great deal of expense in caring for your pet in later years.
Proper dental prophylaxis involves the following steps:
Prior to surgery, all patients receive a pre-anesthetic physical examination. All potential problems result in a phone call to you and are thoroughly discussed at that time. Just as your own doctor would never take you to surgery without first running "screening tests," we recommend a pre-anesthesia / pre-surgical blood screen to detect many potential problems. Not all veterinary clinics run these tests on a routine basis. It is an optional way you can increase the anesthesia safety for your pet.
SEDATION:
Required since your pet will not "open wide." Sedation also allows us to do a much more
thorough job below the gum line, which, although unable to be seen, is where most of the real problem is located. The part of the tooth under the gum line must be cleaned, as well as the exposed portion to really help your pet long-term. Our sedatives are chosen with your your pet's utmost safety in mind, and is dictated by age, weight, and physical condition. The cost of sedation is a major reason that a dental cleaning costs more in animals than in people.
SCALING and POLISHING of the teeth:
To remove tartar above and below the gum line is done with both hand instruments and ultrasonic cleaning equipment.
Just like using fine grit sandpaper after using coarse grit, we must polish to make the teeth smooth. Polishing the teeth after scaling are important to "smooth down" the surfaces and will be more resistant. Without polishing, dental specialists say we are really doing your pet very little good, and in fact the plaque would return very quickly if the teeth were not polished after scaling.
ANTISEPTIC FLUSHING:
It is important after polishing to rid the mouth of the ever-present bacteria so they do not invade the gums irritated during the cleaning. Solutions are actually flushed beneath the gum line to rid these germs.
FLUORIDE TREATMENT OF THE TEETH AFTER CLEANING is a highly recommended part of the
dental prophylaxis procedure. It decreases teeth sensitivity, strengthens enamel, has some antibacterial effects, and decreases the rate of future plaque formation.
ANTIBIOTICS:
Are usually required in veterinary dentistry because teeth cleaning are not usually performed until tooth and gum disease is already present. Oral Medications are sometimes prescribed, depending upon the severity of infection. This is not routinely needed in human dentistry because we don't let our teeth get that bad before seeking professional help.
Once the dental cleaning procedure has been completed it is important that you follow the dental hygiene recommendations made for you particular pet the keep his mouth as healthy as possible.
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