Friday, February 14, 2014

Technician Corner: Benefits To Caring For Your Pet's Teeth



Here are the facts on your pets dirty mouth:

*Over 85% of pets over age 4 have some form of dental disease.

*Dental disease has been directly linked to liver, kidney, and heart disease.

*Dental disease, including gingivitis (inflamed gums) and abscessed or fractured teeth, are painful for you pet. Your pet may not show pain until the problem is severe.

*When your pet has dental disease, one of the main side effects is Halitosis, which is better known as bad breath.



Ways to help prevent dental disease:

*Brushing daily.  Imagine going a day without brushing your teeth, YUCK!

*Yearly dental exams (Help maintain your pet's overall health.  Older pets & small breed dogs may need to be done more often.)

*Dental chews/Toys (we offer fingerbrushes for cats/dogs called C.E.T. & toothpaste)

*Dental sprays (we offer a brand of oral spray *Vedco).   The oral sprays that contain chlorhexidine are said to kill 99.9% of the bacteria in an animal's mouth. It is important to use these sprays after brushing your pet's teeth to insure all bacteria is killed (just like a mouth wash would after we brush our teeth).

*T/D treats are a prescription diet treat that help prevent tartar buildup

What to expect when your pet comes in for a dental:

*Temporary sedation from anesthesia

*Sore gums from ultrasonic scaling

*If your pet has extractions you may need to feed soft food for 1-5 days

*Your pet may get a mild cough or have a sore throat from the trachea tube that we use to provide the anesthetic throughout the procedure

*Expect a clean mouth with lots of fresh breath kisses when you arrive to pick them up at the end of the day



Sources:
http://www.superioranimalhospital.com/resources/pdfs/dentalcare.pdf
2005 Pfizer Inc. (Dental Brochure)

*Written by:  Technicians - Kelly Fehnel/Andrea Kessens/Jenni Rogers

No comments:

Post a Comment