Pet Dentistry
Pet Dentistry
Your pet’s teeth and oral hygiene are important to us. It is well known that pets live longer healthier, less painful lives, when they have a healthy mouth.
They can’t brush their teeth like the humans in their lives. And they are very good at masking the pain which is often associated with dental disease.
It is vital that you have your pet’s teeth checked regularly. That is why we offer free dental checks for any pet. If indicated, we perform complimentary dental checks every 2 months, with the veterinarian of your choice.
In addition to complimentary dental checks available to all of our patients, we routinely perform a full dental check during our health check consultations. In most cases we perform a quick check, every time your pet has an appointment regardless.
Like everything else, oral health can change quite quickly. A buildup of tartar and calculus can quickly cause gingivitis and then progress to the more painful periodontal disease. Chipped and broken teeth can go unnoticed unless we look in the mouth, because very often pets will not display obvious mouth pain. Any form of smelly breath, obvious buildup on teeth, bleeding gums, or signs of trouble eating (eg dropping food), require checking.
It is broadly understood that 75% of pets over 3 years of age, have some form of gingival or periodontal disease.
After dental examinations, we can advise on the best approach to assist your pet for management of their oral health.
There are many things which can be done at home to improve and manage your pet’s oral health.
Sometimes we will recommend a dental procedure for your pet. Routine dental cleaning and polishing is done under a light general anaesthetic.
From time to time, it is necessary to perform tooth extractions for pets. If we think this is a possibility, we will advise you about this at the time of any dental check.
Final decisions about oral surgery are made after detailed examinations, together with information provided after we take dental radiographs. In these cases we need to know what is going on beneath the gum line. This is crucial in planning for safe and complete removal of all components of a tooth. We plan on ahead to limit the pain associated with dental extractions. Sometimes pets need to have take home pain relief in addition to comprehensive pain management on the day of the oral surgery.
After any dental procedure, we discuss and advise the best adjunctive home care for your pet. This is tailored to your individual pet, together with what it is possible for you to do at home.
There are many options for pet owners – from dental specific diets, to gels, water additives and powder supplements.
Some owners train their pets to allow them to clean their teeth, which is absolute gold standard. However this may not be practical in various situations.
Once your pet is on a home care programme, we want to track the progress of any plan. We will advise you when we think the next dental check should be scheduled.
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Opening Hours
Mon – Fri: 8.15am – 6.30pm
Sat: 8.30am – 2.30pm