Oral health in dogs and cats is something that was rarely spoken about a decade ago. However, the importance of maintaining oral hygiene in our pets has gained attention in recent years, and hopefully this post can help people understand why!
Your pets mouth is the gateway to the rest of their gastrointestinal tract, and also receives lots of input from nerves, blood supply and is in close connection with the sinuses. Therefore, it is no surprise that when a pet's oral hygiene is not maintained it can lead to a number of problems. These include but are not limited to:
Smelly breath
Difficulty eating
Oral pain
Drooling or bleeding from the mouth
Weight loss
Infections within the sinuses
Increased bacterial load on internal organs.
An increased risk of heart disease.
The most common thing we hear owners often say though is - "but they are still eating, so they cant be in any pain!" But remember, most animals are hard wired to not show the extent of pain they are experiencing, and they will likely keep eating through the pain as it is simply required for survival. Therefore, it is time that if you haven't before, you lift the lip of your pet and take a look in their mouth. Just remember, if you don't feel comfortable doing that, that's what your vet team is there for! So what are the options for taking care of my pets teeth?
When it comes to options for oral hygiene, it can feel really overwhelming as there are thousands of products that are on the market these days. But here is a list of the current top rated recommendations:
Teeth brushing. This is the gold standard option! Just as recommended in human dentistry, the optimum way to ensure you are taking good care of teeth, is to brush teeth twice a day! This dramatically helps reduce the development of plaque build up, and will help keep your pets mouth healthier for longer.
Maxigard - this is a product that either comes in wipes or a gel that you can regularly apply to your pets teeth and mouth. For owners that find teeth brushing difficult or impossible, this is a great alternative.
Oral hygiene diets - there are a number of veterinary recommended options which can be useful in combination with the above, or when those options simply wont work for your pet. The biscuits are specifically designed to help crack plaque off the teeth and promote a healthier gum line.
But what if I have tried the above and I am worried my pet may still have dental disease?
There are many times where a pet's dental disease may already be too advanced for the above options to work, or those options simply aren't feasible for you and your furry loved one. In this instance, a dental procedure will likely be recommended by your veterinarian. At our clinic, this procedure is called a "COHAT" which stands for a complete oral health assessment and treatment. This treatment is performed under an anaesthetic as this allows a thorough job to be performed and is made up of a few key aspects. This will include:
Health check & pre-anaesthetic blood testing: this allows us to ensure there are no pre-existing concerns that need to be accounted for in the procedure. It helps your vet to gauge the external and internal health status and screens the capacity of the liver and kidneys to handle the procedure.
Dental x-rays: These are so important! Often we hear - "my pets teeth look great, there is no need for the x-rays!" However, without x-rays you don't see whats happening under the gum line, and a lot of teeth that may appear healthy externally, are actually suffering at the tooth's root. In a lot of instances also, if a problem is identified externally on a tooth, x-rays may determine that tooth is actually still viable and doesn't need removing!
Grading: This is a comprehensive assessment of the level of disease a tooth is experiencing. Each tooth receives a grade from 1 to 4 in different areas that assess for gum health, tooth root exposure etc. It also helps to identify teeth that may not need extracting now, but need close observation for the future!
Scale and polish: This is a thorough clean of all the teeth to return them to a very healthy state again.
Extractions: This is only indicated if your vet finds something significant on dental x-rays or in the grading process. If this is the case, your vet will explain what they have found and why the extractions are necessary. Just remember - no vet likes to pull out healthy teeth - there is a reason that something difficult is described as "as hard as pulling teeth."
In summary, we hope you can see the importance of maintaining a healthy mouth in your pet. The availability of dental products, and dental radiography in veterinary medicine has meant we are able to provide a much better standard of care for your pets mouth. If you have any concerns about your pets health, or even just want to start a conversation about the best option for you and your pet - please contact your local veterinarian today.
Written by: Dr Tegan Hadley
BSC (Hons), DVM
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