Veterinary Dental Care
Our vets perform full oral examinations to check for damage or early warning signs and can advise you on an appropriate prevention regime. In some cases where further work is required we draw on our compliment of veterinary dental equipment to:
- Scale and Polish – reducing bad breath, removing tartar and helping to prevent gingivitis
- Extract Damaged Teeth – removing the source of pain, bleeding and infection
- Remove Oral Masses – improving oral comfort and to perform further testing
Dental Procedures and your pet
Dental procedures and operations are some of the most frequently performed at Animal Doctors International. It should be noted that ALL dental procedures in animals require full general anaesthesia and as such have an inherent risk associated. Generally, there are two types of procedures that are undertaken.
Dental Prophylaxis
This is the performance of a routine check-up for the teeth as well as de-scaling (both manual and ultrasonic) to remove tartar and plaque followed by polishing. This procedure aims to maintain good oral hygiene for your pet and prevent dental disease. This is similar to the procedure carried out by dentists and should be done on a regular basis in conjunction with other prophylactic measures such as:
- Regular teeth cleaning by toothpaste or gel
- The use of specially designed chews and toys
- Special Diets
We can advise you if your pet would benefit from dental prophylaxis.
Dental Procedure (extractions)
This is undertaken when dental disease is identified on clinical examination and is a more complex procedure frequently involving the extraction of affected teeth. Initially, the teeth are cleaned as per dental prophylaxis and then re-examined: severely damaged, loose or problem teeth are identified and are removed. In the more serious cases of the dental disease, the vet may also recommend radiographs/biopsy of gum tissue/lymph nodes or blood tests e.g. kidney profile and viral tests in cats. Your pet may also be given antibiotics and pain killers.
Aftercare
After the dental has been performed the mouth will be sensitive and you may well see some blood. Feed soft food (soak any dry food) as advised by the veterinarian (normally for 3-7 days). Always finish any course of medication and attend follow-up consultations. Once the mouth has healed start preventative dental health care such as toothpaste, gels, toys and chews. If you would like a prescription diet to aid in the prevention of dental disease then ask the veterinarian.