Dental disease is the most common disease amongst dogs and cats throughout the United States. At our practice, we make sure that your pet’s dental health is a top priority and is treated appropriately. We use human-grade dental equipment during our dog and cat dental procedures and have high-resolution digital dental radiography so we can treat dental disease at its root.
It can be hard to decipher whether or not your pet is in need of a dental. If you are noticing any of the following signs of symptoms please bring your pet in for an evaluation to assess their needs.
- Bad Breath
- Changes to eating habits, or not eating
- Yellow or brown teeth
- Swollen or bleeding gums
- Growths on the gums or tongue
- Excessive drooling
- Pawing at their mouth
- Tooth loss
If your pet is exhibiting any of these signs or symptoms please make an appointment to see one of our doctors for a dental exam. The initial dental exam will be conducted while your pet is awake which will help our doctors get an idea of your pet’s dental condition. Based on this, they will work with you to create a dental treatment plan that is both in the best care of your pet but also financially feasible for you. They may require pre-anesthetic bloodwork which can usually be done in the clinic to confirm your pet doesn’t have any underlying conditions that may complicate their dental cleaning procedure.
Once your pet is cleared for anesthesia and they are sedated for the procedure, your doctor will conduct another oral exam that is more extensive to assess the need for any dental radiographs, tooth removals, or other extra concerns outside a dental cleaning. Often our doctors will use local anesthetic to make the procedure less painful and to reduce the amount of anesthesia needed for the procedure. Once the dental is completed and your pet wakes up from anesthesia they will be released to go home. In most routine cases, no additional medications will be needed, but for some dental extractions or other complications, medications may be sent home with your pet.