Dental
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Dental disease is the most common disease found in our pets, with over 70% of pets over the age of 3 years having at least mild disease. Without intervention, many will eventually develop periodontal disease, an infection of the gums, bones, and other structures that support the teeth. Gingivitis and periodontitis cause pain and tooth loss, and can bring about other serious oral and systemic health problems. Cats also can develop painful feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions, or FORLS's (also known as "neck lesions"). These are the cat's version of a cavity and unfortunately, can only be remedied by extracting the affected tooth. Keeping your cat's mouth clean is one of the most important things you can do for your pet in terms of allowing him/her to live a long, happy, and healthy life. |
Stages of Dental Disease Grade 1: Early gingivitis in which a margin of attached gingiva is inflamed and swollen and plaque covers the teeth. Grade 2: Moderate gingivitis in which the entire attached gingiva is inflamed and swollen and odor is noticeable. Grade 3: Advanced gingivitis in which the gingiva is cherry red and bleeding, bad breath is a continuous problem, and the teeth are covered with tartar. Grade 4: Periodontal disease in which chronic bacterial infection is destroying the gingiva, teeth and bone and may be spreading via the bloodstream to other organs in the body. Grade 1 or 2 disease means you need to start thinking about having your cat's teeth cleaned. Grade 3 disease means you need to have your cat's teeth cleaned now. Grade 4 disease is an emergency. You must have your cat's teeth cleaned as soon as possible in order to give us the best chance to save your pet's teeth, stop the discomfort and prevent other organs in the body from being infected. |
Dental Cleaning We will need to anesthetize your pet in order for us to safely and properly clean his/her teeth. We realize that anesthesia is your biggest concern and have taken steps to minimize any risk to your pet (while it is not possible to take away the risk completely, please understand that all risk is relative...the risk of not performing the cleaning and allowing your pet's mouth to worsen is much higher than the risk of anesthetizing your pet). We will place an intravenous catheter and provide intravenous fluids to your pet while he/she is anesthetized. The fluids help to keep the blood pressure at a healthy level, protecting the heart and kidneys. Fluids also help your pet have a smoother and faster recovery from anesthesia. Having the catheter in place also allows us to respond more quickly in the unlikely event of any life-threatening problems during the procedure. Anesthesia consists of a small amount of injectable medication to allow placement of an endotracheal tube, and isoflurane gas to maintain the anesthesia. Using gas anesthesia is safest as it allows for the most precise and most easily changed level of anesthesia. We will also give your pet an injection of a strong pain reliever so that he/she does not wake up in any discomfort. A well-trained staff member will monitor your pet for the entire time that it is anesthetized. Breathing rate, heart rate, blood oxygenation and carbon dioxide levels are continuously monitored. Blood pressure measurements are also taken at regular intervals. These parameters give us up-to-the-minute information on how your pet is doing under anesthesia. The dental procedure itself is much like what happens when we go to get our teeth cleaned (of course, our teeth are not nearly as bad as our pets'!) The plaque and tartar on the teeth are scaled away, both manually and with an ultrasonic scaler. The most important part of this procedure is scaling under the gums, as this is where the major damage is being done. After the scaling, each tooth is checked for signs of being loose, neck lesions and fractures. The gums are checked for infection and for gingival pockets. The teeth are then polished using a fluoride paste, a fluoride gel is applied and finally, a sealant is placed on the teeth. In short, we will do everything in our power to make sure that your pet has a safe, painless, uneventful dental cleaning experience. |
