While most hospitals offer teeth cleaning for your pets, how this is done and for what purpose can differ significantly. If all the hospital does is remove tartar from the crown (the part of the tooth above the gum line), then you may have clean looking teeth but the underlying cause of the gum disease in you pet may still be present and your pet may still be in significant discomfort.
In our hospital dental procedures are performed not just for cosmetic reasons and to clean the teeth, but more importantly, to treat active periodontal disease, which is the root cause of tooth-related health problems. Only by addressing these issues will your pet be truly healthier and pain free. Effective dental and gum treatment has to be performed under light general anesthesia. It is impossible to properly treat the key area under the gum line without your pet being completely still and free of discomfort.Great care is taken at our hospital to ensure your pet’s safety and speedy recovery. This includes pre-anesthetic safety screening, antibiotics, pain control, warmed electrolyte fluids, and continually supervised anesthesia and recovery.
Periodontal disease is a significant threat to your pet’s long-term health and causes severe chronic pain when advanced and untreated. Our goal is to create a mutual understanding of the significance of periodontal disease and have our team partner with you in optimizing your pet’s long-term dental health.
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In treating your pet’s teeth and gums, our hospital employs a six-step treatment to provide our patients the maximum benefit available:
Step 1: The mouth, gums and teeth are evaluated by the doctor for gum disease, broken teeth, infection, and masses. The findings are charted in your pet’s medical record.
Step 2: Ultrasonic scaling of tartar above the gum line (on the visible part of the tooth). This removes the hard, caked-on tartar so the underlying tooth surface can be evaluated.
Step 3: Cleaning and debridement below the gum line using a hand scaler and curette. This is the most important part of the treatment as this is where gum disease causes the most damage.
Step 4: Polishing of the teeth with fluoride paste to smooth out any rough spots and strengthen the enamel.
Step 5: Dental radiographs (x-rays) are taken to evaluate the roots of the teeth. Many dental problems occur at the root level and can not be detected without radiographs. This also evaluates for any bone loss around the teeth and screens for missing or broken teeth.
Step 6: Probing and evaluation of gum pockets and any necessary additional treatments such as antibiotic treatment, root planing, gum surgery, or extraction of severely infected teeth with loss of supporting bone.
