Pet Dentistry
Dental disease (also known as oral disease, gum disease or periodontal disease) is extremely common in dogs and cats.
Dogs and cats develop dental disease 5 times more often in dogs than in people. There are things we can do to slow the progression of disease. Brushing your pet’s teeth is regarded as the best preventative, however most pet owners would not have time to do this twice a day for 12 years! Regular bones or chews will help reduce the incidence of oral disease. For pets that are reluctant or unable to spend time chewing bones etc, specially formulated diets can greatly reduce the incidence of disease. These diets have cleverly constructed kibble designed to clean the animal’s teeth as they chew.
If dental disease is already present a thorough descale (removal of plaque) and polish is necessary to prevent the periodontal disease progressing to tooth or bone loss. Dental cleaning and polish is done under general anaesthetic, which also provides the opportunity to individually assess each tooth (including x-raying diseased teeth if required). In animals with more advanced ginigivitis, post- surgical antibiotics can help to completely eliminate harmful bacteria.