Dental care
As is true with most things prevention is better than cure, and this is particularly true when it comes to dental disease.
Dental assessment and treatment is available and recommended for Dogs, Cats, Rabbits and other small furry pets. Our highly trained nurses and vets provide pet dental care and perform many routine dental checks to help with prevention or advise treatment where necessary.
Regular Dental Checks
We highly recommend regular checks as dental disease is not just an aesthetic problem. It can result in significant pain and infection for the sufferer, often going unnoticed for long periods of time, as well as acting as a source of bacteria which can spread to the blood increasing the risk of irreversible damage to the heart valves, kidneys and other organs.
Symptoms of dental problems include:
Bad Breath
Inflamed Gums
Plaque and Calculus
Trouble Chewing
Nasal Discharge and Sneezing
Weight loss
There are many ways in which you can help keep your pets teeth clean ranging from brushing and mouth washes to feeding specialised diets and powders that can be added to the food. Please contact our practice for more information.
Dental procedures
Dental treatment is usually carried out under general anaesthesia in most species, as this allows us to carry out any procedures necessary with minimal risk or stress to both animal and vet alike.
Firstly a careful examination of the soft tissues of the mouth is carried out before attention is turned to the teeth themselves to make sure no other problems are missed. Next, any teeth which are damaged, loose or where gum recession has caused the roots to be exposed are extracted to prevent pain and discomfort. The remaining teeth are ultrasonically scaled and then polished to slow repeat plaque formation. In some cases your pet may need a course of antibiotics prior to or following dental work to decrease the level of infection present in the mouth and assist with post-operative recovery.
Dental procedures are probably much more involved and time consuming than most people realise.
We have a highly skilled team who use high spec equipment to keep your pets mouth as disease and pain – free as possible.