Comprehensive Dental Services for Healthier Pets
Making oral hygiene a key component of your pet’s routine care actually improves overall health. Accumulated oral bacteria results in painful teeth and gums, and also puts pets at risk for harmful infection throughout the rest of the body. Dental disease has been directly linked to liver, kidney, and heart disease. This means good oral hygiene can add years to your pet’s life!
Dental Disease
Imagine what your teeth would feel like after not brushing them for one week, let alone one year or more. This is the reality for our pets, which is why dental disease is the most common disease in pets today. So much so, that over 85% of dogs and cats over four years of age have some form of dental disease.
Don’t wait for these signs before brushing up on your pet’s dental care: bad breath, excessive salivation, red or bleeding gums, decreased appetite, pain while chewing, pawing at the face and mouth, and tooth loss.
At Superior Animal Hospital & Boarding Suites, we combat dental disease with dental exams, dental x-rays, professional dental cleanings, specific dental therapy, and individualized advice for at-home care.
Dental Examinations
A dental exam is part of every wellness visit at Superior Animal Hospital & Boarding Suites. One of our veterinarians will visually check your pet’s teeth and gums for signs of dental disease, if found, we’ll discuss the stage of dental disease observed.
Digital radiography may be needed to make a complete diagnosis since half of your pet’s teeth are unseen below the gum line. This will help our veterinarians pinpoint the exact location and severity of dental disease, as well as diagnose potential underlying issues like tooth fractures, diseased teeth and roots, cysts, foreign objects, and more.
Dental Cleanings
Annual dental cleanings are recommended to maximize dental health. All dental cleanings are performed under general anesthesia for the safety, as well as complete necessary care. In addition to cleaning the teeth, the entire mouth is examined, and dental x-rays are taken for complete oral assessment and diagnosis. We find that pets experience procedural benefits right away, including less oral pain, fresher breath, and an improved ability to chew. We offer discounts of 10% on patients receiving annual dental care.
In severe cases, oral surgery may be recommended to completely relieve pain and infection.
At-Home Dental Care
It’s ideal to brush your pet’s teeth daily or weekly to clean away plaque and tartar build up. But, we understand that some pets may not tolerate brushing at home. That’s okay! There are many other great dental alternatives like dental treats, dental chews, dental toys, dental rinses, and dental gels that break down plaque and tartar while your pet chews. Please, no human toothpaste! Use only pet-safe products to avoid nausea or toxicity.
We also recommend Hill’s Prescription Diet t/d, which is specially formulated to help remove tartar from tooth surface and lengthen the time between professional cleanings.
Superior