Practicing some form of home dental hygiene for your pet's teeth can help prevent diseases that cause pain and suffering and shorten your pet's life. Think about it, how would you feel if you never brushed your teeth. Try it sometime. See if you can go a week without brushing. You won't have many friends that will get close to you, and your spouse will probably want to move out, but it will sure make you realize the value of brushing. Of course, don't tell your dentist I told you to do that!
Good dental hygiene is very important not only in maintaining the health of teeth and gums, but also helps prevent age related disease such as kidney failure and heart disease. This is true in people, but it is even more true in our pets.When pets eat, food particles and saliva accumulate in the pockets under the gums, and this breeds bacteria. These bacteria multiply and produce large mucoprotein molecules which we know as plaque. This plaque serves as a framework for minerals such as calcium and phosphorous to bind to. When this happens, it becomes tartar and calculus. This hard, literally "stoney" substance then accumulates under and eventually above the gumline. Below the gumline, it pushes the gums away from the teeth and allows the bacteria to get deeper into the tissue. Eventually this can lead to loss of the tooth because the socket becomes decayed, or worse, it may even lead to osteomyelitis ( infection of bone) in the jaw or sinus. Above the gumline, this tartar and calculus can cover the surface of the tooth and do damage to the enamel surface, making it prone to more accumulation in the future. The worst, and most common effect that this tartar has is to harbor bacteria continuously very close to the capillaries in the gums. The bacteria can easily spread from this area to the kidneys, liver and heart valves, where they can cause permanent damage that will shorten the life of your pet.
By routinely cleaning the teeth and gums with an appropriate technique and having the teeth cleaned by your veterinarian at least once every 12-18 months, as they need it, this process can be interupted and the teeth can be saved. More importantly, the bacteria involved don't get access to the bloodstream, so they don't do damage to other organs. This will lead to a longer and healthier life for the pet.
What should you do if your pet has clean teeth, but one of them looks broken? If there is a broken tooth, and it just happened with in 48 - 72 hours, the tip of the broken tooth can be treated with a process called a Vital Pulpotomy where the top of the root canal is cleaned and sealed. This will keep the tooth from eventually decaying from the center out. If it is an old break, or it is very low to the gumline, a root canal procedure, just like human destists do, can be performed. Alternatively, the tooth can be extracted. Although it is not essential, a tooth cap can be placed on a freshly broken tooth to preserve the cosmetic appearance. Caps can be gold, silver, or natural enamel colored. Caps are not often recommended however, as the damage to the tooth should it break off, which is a very high risk, is very likely to call for extraction.
If your pet's teeth are crooked, and it causes difficulty in chewing, or causes unnatural wearing of tooth surfaces, then there are orthodontic devices (braces) that can help re-align these teeth. One of the most common reasons for misalignment of a pet's teeth is failure to lose baby teeth at the proper time. If you have a puppy or kitten less than 6 months of age, you should have your veterinarian examine the mouth and teeth every 3-4 weeks until all the baby teeth have been lost and the adults are in. Removing retained baby teeth is a lot easier and less expensive than applying braces.
Veterinary dentistry has come a long way in the past 20 years. Most veterinarians can perform routine cleanings and extractions, and more and more are learning the techniques needed for the advanced procedures. The next time you take your pet in for annual exams and vaccinations, be sure your veterinarian examines the teeth carefully and determines if there is a need for cleaning. Ask him or her about special toothpastes and toothbrushes, and other products to aid you in providing proper home care. You may want to try a special diet made for dogs and cats, which can help keep the teeth clean through "kibble dynamics" technology. This food is called Hill's t/d (tm). Most veterinarians carry it. Brushing teeth and feeding the t/d (tm) can make your dog's or cat's breath much more pleasant and will reduce the risk of many common health problems.
For more information about this and other pet related topics or questions, visit our website at www.bellroadamc.com or email us at info@bellroadamc.com or even call us at 334-279-9100
Good dental hygiene is very important not only in maintaining the health of teeth and gums, but also helps prevent age related disease such as kidney failure and heart disease. This is true in people, but it is even more true in our pets.When pets eat, food particles and saliva accumulate in the pockets under the gums, and this breeds bacteria. These bacteria multiply and produce large mucoprotein molecules which we know as plaque. This plaque serves as a framework for minerals such as calcium and phosphorous to bind to. When this happens, it becomes tartar and calculus. This hard, literally "stoney" substance then accumulates under and eventually above the gumline. Below the gumline, it pushes the gums away from the teeth and allows the bacteria to get deeper into the tissue. Eventually this can lead to loss of the tooth because the socket becomes decayed, or worse, it may even lead to osteomyelitis ( infection of bone) in the jaw or sinus. Above the gumline, this tartar and calculus can cover the surface of the tooth and do damage to the enamel surface, making it prone to more accumulation in the future. The worst, and most common effect that this tartar has is to harbor bacteria continuously very close to the capillaries in the gums. The bacteria can easily spread from this area to the kidneys, liver and heart valves, where they can cause permanent damage that will shorten the life of your pet.
By routinely cleaning the teeth and gums with an appropriate technique and having the teeth cleaned by your veterinarian at least once every 12-18 months, as they need it, this process can be interupted and the teeth can be saved. More importantly, the bacteria involved don't get access to the bloodstream, so they don't do damage to other organs. This will lead to a longer and healthier life for the pet.
What should you do if your pet has clean teeth, but one of them looks broken? If there is a broken tooth, and it just happened with in 48 - 72 hours, the tip of the broken tooth can be treated with a process called a Vital Pulpotomy where the top of the root canal is cleaned and sealed. This will keep the tooth from eventually decaying from the center out. If it is an old break, or it is very low to the gumline, a root canal procedure, just like human destists do, can be performed. Alternatively, the tooth can be extracted. Although it is not essential, a tooth cap can be placed on a freshly broken tooth to preserve the cosmetic appearance. Caps can be gold, silver, or natural enamel colored. Caps are not often recommended however, as the damage to the tooth should it break off, which is a very high risk, is very likely to call for extraction.
If your pet's teeth are crooked, and it causes difficulty in chewing, or causes unnatural wearing of tooth surfaces, then there are orthodontic devices (braces) that can help re-align these teeth. One of the most common reasons for misalignment of a pet's teeth is failure to lose baby teeth at the proper time. If you have a puppy or kitten less than 6 months of age, you should have your veterinarian examine the mouth and teeth every 3-4 weeks until all the baby teeth have been lost and the adults are in. Removing retained baby teeth is a lot easier and less expensive than applying braces.
Veterinary dentistry has come a long way in the past 20 years. Most veterinarians can perform routine cleanings and extractions, and more and more are learning the techniques needed for the advanced procedures. The next time you take your pet in for annual exams and vaccinations, be sure your veterinarian examines the teeth carefully and determines if there is a need for cleaning. Ask him or her about special toothpastes and toothbrushes, and other products to aid you in providing proper home care. You may want to try a special diet made for dogs and cats, which can help keep the teeth clean through "kibble dynamics" technology. This food is called Hill's t/d (tm). Most veterinarians carry it. Brushing teeth and feeding the t/d (tm) can make your dog's or cat's breath much more pleasant and will reduce the risk of many common health problems.
For more information about this and other pet related topics or questions, visit our website at www.bellroadamc.com or email us at info@bellroadamc.com or even call us at 334-279-9100
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