Why do I need to worry about dental care? Dental problems will affect nearly all cats and dogs at some point in their life to differing extents.  This could range from just the inconvenience of bad breath to more serious problems such as gum disease or severe tooth ache. 

Dental disease can also cause problems in other areas not associated with the mouth – bacteria can potentially enter the blood stream cause kidney damage or even certain forms of heart disease.  Animals are very good at hiding that they are in pain, just because they are eating well doesn’t mean they aren’t having pain in their mouth.

When do I start examining the mouth and teeth?

From an early age, you will need to get the animal accustomed to having his or her mouth examined (especially dogs).  It will make your life easier as owners will learn what is normal for their pets and when the vet comes to examine their mouths they won’t mind so much as they will be used to it.

What should I look for in the mouth?

Again this is why you should be familiar with what normal is like, as only then you will spot when something is wrong.  When examining mouth and teeth always be careful and be aware that any animal can inflict a nasty bite or scratch if they set their mind to it! Dogs Lift up the upper lips on the side of the mouth and look at the surface of the teeth – especially the big canines and the carnassials which are the big grinding teeth at the back of the mouth.  You should look for excessive tartar build up (teeth look yellow or brown). Signs of sore or infected gums (redness, recession) signs of broken or chipped/fractured teeth and also look for any unusual lumps bumps or swellings. Some older dogs will also have worn teeth from chewing on toys, rocks or tennis balls.  Try to examine both sides as they can be very different.  If they are very cooperative you can open their mouth and look on the inside as well.  Here is what a normal dog’s mouth looks like.

Cats They can be notoriously difficult to examine the mouth, often the best way is to take a quick peek when they are yawning!  If you can gently hold the head and pull the lips back and apart at the side of the mouth, doing this you should be able to see the canines and molars.  Don’t worry if you can’t get a good look –sometimes even us experts struggle!  Here is what a normal cat’s mouth looks like.

What else should I look for?

Other than examining the mouth physically there are lots of other things you can check: What is the appetite like?  If they are not eating do they look hungry?  Are they looking interested in the food but just aren’t able to eat it properly. What is the breath like? Usually bad breath is caused by problems in the mouth, either teeth or gums. Is the animal selecting soft food over hard food or seems to only be eating on one side? Is there any excessive dribbling? Have there been any signs of weight loss? Occasionally if a tooth gets a tooth root abscess the pet will get a swelling below their eye on their face and the tooth can still look normal in the mouth, so get your vet to investigate any sudden swellings on the face.

 What can I do to prevent dental disease?

As with many other conditions, prevention is better than cure, and this certainly applies to dental disease - as we humans know all too well. Often it is not possible to completely avoid dental problems but certain steps can be taken to limit problems and reduce the need

for dental procedures under anaesthetic at the vet clinic. The best thing you can do is physically brush their teeth.  Some animals tolerate this better than others and we have special toothbrushes and flavored toothpaste that pets like.  Here are some web sites that go through how to brush your pets teeth but you usually need to start when they are young and some animals will not tolerate it no matter how patient you are!

Check the teeth and mouth regularly – many problems if caught early will not be serious but can progress to tooth loss and occasionally even a broken jaw if ignored and neglected.  

Feed the correct diet. – avoid sweet treats, ensure the pet has enough hard objects to chew on, special chews and dental diets are readily available that will help keep the teeth in good shape. Bones will help keep teeth clean but do make your pets at risk of breaking teeth and some animals will get upset stomachs (vomiting, diarrhea or constipation) on bones.  Never feed small cooked bones. If you are going to give a dog a bone get a raw cannon bone and only let them chew on it for a hour then take it away (you can put it in a bag then in the freezer) and if they seem ok after 48 hour they can have another go in a few weeks. Don’t give them one more than once a month as too many will wear down their teeth.

What to do if you are worried?

If you are concerned about any aspect of the mouth or teeth you should seek veterinary attention.  The nurses will be happy to discuss dental care with you and are able to help you examine the mouth and help decide if the animal should see a vet. What can be done to help if my animal has a mouth problem? If there is a problem with the teeth or gums we can help!  Our dental services range from a clean and polish (which removes all the plaque/tartar from the teeth and then polishes the surface so the teeth are nice and white and clean again) to more serious dental work (such as extracting rotten teeth and investigations into tooth root abscesses).  It has to be appreciated that no animal will lie back and say “aaagh” so for this reason we have to give your pet a general anaesthetic to perform these treatments.  Now days these are very safe and a nurse will monitor your beloved pet the whole time they are asleep and in recovery.  Age isn’t a barrier to an anaesthetic – we always give the patient a thorough check over and often the older animals have blood tests to make sure all their organs are working well and they may be put on i/v fluids to help them recover from the procedure. We are very aware of the pain dentals can cause and make every effort to ensure your pet has good pain relief and appropriate drugs to go home on.  We often want to see them back after a few days to check how they are recovering.  Regular dental checks are an important part of our physical examination when we give our patients their yearly check up but some pets with bad teeth may need checking more often.

It is again worth mentioning that prevention is better than cure – it is better to do a simple clean and polish than to wait until the tartar has built up and caused serious tooth decay and gum infections.  This month we have several products available for your pet to try and competitions to win free stuff to help with this common problem.