Pet Dentistry
Pet Dental Care in Cary
As healthy as your pet may be in most respects, the mouth presents opportunities for disease and injury that you must take into account. In addition to the damage that teeth may incur from daily wear and tear, the ongoing threat of gingival and periodontal disease, oral cancer and other potential issues makes it imperative that you schedule a periodic pet dental cleaning and examination, getting any problems treated as quickly as thoroughly as possible.
Fortunately, our veterinarians at Chatham Animal Hospital can provide pet dentistry services to help your pet enjoy many years of better dental, oral and general health. Call (919) 469-8114.
Some pet dentistry needs are acute and obvious. If your pet displays clearly broken teeth, paws at its face or refuses to eat, immediate dental care may be needed. Our team can take x-rays and perform a visual inspection to determine the nature and extent of the problem; our digital radiography equipment allows for clearer, more detailed, and much faster results than ordinary film-based x-rays, while also exposing your pet to significantly less radiation. We can then perform repairs or extractions as needed to stop the pain and protect surrounding teeth from complications.
Is Dental Disease a Serious Condition?
An even more common and pervasive danger comes from periodontal disease, a form of gum and tooth supporting structure destruction experienced by some 85 percent of animals aged 3 or over. It starts when toxins produced by bacteria in plaque irritate the gums. Once below the gum line, the bacteria cause the tissues holding the teeth in place to deteriorate.
The results include:
- Tooth loss
- Abscessed jaws
- Painful gum infections
- Possible invasion of the major organs by harmful bacteria
Pet teeth cleaning is therefore more than a means of keeping your pet’s breath fresh and its teeth looking nice — it is an essential wellness procedure that should be administered as part of a regular dental wellness exam. Our Cary veterinarian administers general anesthesia for pet teeth cleaning to ensure that your pet remains relaxed and still while stubborn tartar is removed both below and above the gum line.
The Importance of Routine Pet Dental Exams
Our comprehensive pet dentistry exams don’t stop at cleaning, however. Our Cary veterinarian will also examine your pet’s mouth closely for any signs of diseases and other issues that require treatment. Chief among these is oral cancer, a deadly ailment that progresses quickly and therefore must be diagnosed and dealt with early. Senior pets may have special needs of their own; cats, for instance, sometimes develop a painful condition called resorptive lesions as they grow older. For this reason, we may recommend more frequent dental examinations for our geriatric patients.
- Significantly bad breath
- Discolored teeth (yellow/brown)
- Tooth loss
- Bleeding gums
- Excessive drooling
- Change in eating habits
- Seeming unwillingness to chew food