Let’s Talk About Pet Dental Health and Oral Hygiene

If your veterinarian has prescribed a professional teeth cleaning procedure as part of your pet’s treatment plan, it means your vet has diagnosed some level of disease. This may include visible signs of dental issues including tartar build-up on teeth, swollen gums, fractured teeth, or other signs or symptoms your vet will explain.

And just as with people, your pet’s dental issues will likely get worse, more painful, more harmful, and more costly over time.

It is much more involved than just cleaning teeth. Dr. Laura Schultz, Co-founder and Medical Director, has provided more information about CoastView’s protocols.

Your pet’s teeth, gums, tongue, and surrounding tissue will be examined by your pet’s veterinarian. The doctor is looking for signs of disease including cancer, abscesses, lesions, chipped, cracked or broken teeth, loose teeth, and gingivitis.

Your pet will also get a full set of dental x-rays. We use digital radiography and our staff has been educated to properly use the equipment.

Similar to what your own dentist does, your pet’s veterinary staff will use additional tools and equipment such as an ultrasonic scaler and hand tools to remove the tartar from not only the exposed parts of your pet’s teeth – but also the part hiding below the gum line. Up to two-thirds of your pet’s tooth surface is below the gum line.

Also similar to dentists, your vet will probe around every single tooth in your pet’s mouth to identify – and document – both healthy areas and unhealthy areas such as pockets. The pockets are probed to determine depth. If you’ve heard your own dentist calling out “one-one-two, two-one-three, two-two-four”, etc., your veterinary team does the same thing for your pet’s teeth.

Regarding anesthesia – not only is anesthesia safer than ever, here at CoastView we take additional precautions including preoperative bloodwork, x-rays to identify problem areas which help to minimize the amount of time your pet is anesthetized, preoperative and postoperative pain management, administration of I.V. fluids during the procedure, and an additional – trained & qualified – staff member charged with monitoring your pet during the entire time they are anesthetized. Thus, if you do choose to compare prices, please be sure you are comparing apples-to-apples. If you come across lower-cost options for dental cleanings, ask yourself what the low-cost clinic is not doing in order to be able to offer a lower price.

Because it is illegal. Only licensed veterinarians can diagnose and treat medical and dental conditions. Also, by only cleaning the tartar above the gum line you are not addressing the real concerns of tartar below the gum line which causes bone loss and tooth decay.

Because they often do more harm than good.

Teeth cleaning done by groomers or other well-meaning, but unlicensed, people may make your pet’s teeth appear cleaner at first, but here in the veterinary hospital, we see the problems that arise later. Such as:

1. The extremely small scratches left on the tooth enamel make it easier for microscopic bacteria and colorless plaque to take hold on your pet’s teeth. This can lead to issues worse than the tartar or calculus which was originally observed. Whereas your veterinary team has the education and equipment to ensure your pet’s teeth are correctly polished.

2. Groomers do not have the education or equipment to clean below the gum line and this is where the majority of the problems hide. We speak with many pet parents who now feel as though they were misled (by well-meaning, but unlicensed, providers) into believing their pet’s mouth was healthier than it really was. Meanwhile, the disease progression (below the gum line) continued causing harm to their pet’s teeth, gums, bones, and possibly their heart and liver, too – even though their pet’s teeth appeared to be clean.

While we do expect most pet dogs and cats to have some odor, their breath should not be foul. There’s a difference between “doggy breath” and the odor from periodontal disease. Although describing this odor is difficult to put into words online (still waiting for Google to develop their scratch-n-sniff app), your veterinary team is well-aware of this unique odor.

The bacteria. Well, actually the gasses released from the harmful bacteria making a living off of your pet’s gums, tissue, etc.

Fun Fact:

You now have access to a plethora of pet-safe toothpaste, mouth rinse, chew-chews, and even dental-specific kibble to help keep your pet’s teeth and mouth healthy. Does your pet have a favorite? Please let us know in the comment section below. Here is CoastView Vet patient, Wally, when his dental kibble arrives at his front door from CoastView’s online pharmacy.

According to data from a *Virbac press release, one milligram of plaque can contain one trillion bacteria.

Harmful bacteria living in the calcified tartar below the gum line can get a free ride through your pet’s bloodstream and end up in your pet’s heart, liver, or sometimes their brain.

Every time your pet swallows, harmful bacteria living in their mouth get swallowed, too. Your pet’s liver can be assaulted with bacteria while it is trying to do its day job of removing toxins. In other words, your pet’s liver function can be negatively affected as it has to work overtime. A tired, compromised liver can lead to many other problems.

This is our favorite question from pet parents. We have a plethora of products to help keep your pet’s teeth clean. If your pet doesn’t give you the thumbs-up – err – paws-up approval, you can find even more products on this reputable website from the non-profit organization, Veterinary Oral Health Council. Click on “Accepted Products” to see the recently updated lists for dogs or cats.