What do you get when you take a dog to the dentist? This may seem like the setup to a great dad joke, but the answer is serious: a happier, healthier four-legged family member — and less dog breath.
To address the significance of oral health care for pets, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) sponsors National Pet Dental Health Month every February.
“Increasingly our pet dogs, pet cats, and exotic animals are becoming more and more important, critical members of the family,” said Dr. Jesse Fallon, local veterinarian and owner of Cheat Lake Animal Hospital. “As that progresses and becomes more common we start looking at the overall picture of health in these pets, and dental health shouldn’t be excluded.”
Fallon said dental disease is extremely commonly in domestic pets, particularly in certain breeds of dogs and cats — but unfortunately some of these conditions are not something you would notice obviously in your pet at home.
Diseases such as periodontal disease or bone loss around the teeth and significant plaque and tartar buildup can cause multiple problems, Fallon said, so it’s important to bring pets in for their annual veterinary exam to evaluate not only the rest of the body but also look at the teeth.
“The one most recognized [problem] by people is often bad breath or bad odor of the mouth and that can be a clue that you have a problem,” said Fallon. But there are other conditions as well.
“Bad gingivitis, periodontal disease, or the disease we see around the structures of the teeth, cannot only cause problems in the mouth but also can cause certain systemic diseases,” he said. “We see some problems with the heart and problems with kidneys that can be associated with undiagnosed or untreated dental disease.”
According to Fallon, if left untreated, dental disease progresses and it can lead to tooth loss, bone loss, and can even lead to fractures of the jaw in some severe cases, so it is definitely an area of your pet that you want to keep an eye on and have your vet take a look at.
The procedures done with pet dental work are very similar to what you would have done by your own dentist, Fallon said.
“We take dental X-rays to evaluate the structures of the tooth below the gum line. We do ultrasonic scaling of the teeth, polishing, fluoride treatment, and then necessary extractions or treatment of individual teeth as needed,” he said.
The biggest difference between human and pet dental procedures is pets generally require anesthesia.
“When a human goes to the dentist you know what’s coming, you know they are going to be cleaning your teeth so, in most cases, stay calm and allow them to complete the procedure,” Fallon explained. “But in our pets they don’t know that what we are doing is helpful, so there is concern, so we do place them under anesthesia for their own safety. That also allows us to get a good evaluation of their teeth.”
In humans, it has become standard practice for most of us to go to the dentist every 6 to 12 months just for a cleaning and evaluation. Fallon said, “In our pets, in some cases, we only get to do dentistry say once or twice in an animal’s lifetime, so we see lots of diseases that can progress because of that.”
While February may be National Pet Dental Health month, the AVMA reminds pet owners that dental health should be considered all year long.
Pet dental health “is an important part of pet health,” Fallon said. “It’s something that all of our pet mammals have and they should all be looked at by their vet and have those teeth evaluated at least annually.”
Concerns about pet dental health are best addressed with your veterinarian, who can help guide you to the best possible options for maintaining your individual pet’s oral health care.
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