By the age of two years, most cats and dogs have some form of dental disease, it is the most common disorder in pets.
Dental disease is extremely painful, pets will continue to eat but will avoid the painful areas of their mouth, if exceptionally severe they will stop eating.
The best way to prevent painful gum disease is by using dental products, toothbrushing daily is the best preventative and most pets will tolerate this if introduced gradually in a positive manner.
There are numerous dental products available, ask our veterinary team for advice about the most appropriate product for your pet.
What is plaque and tartar?
Plaque is a build-up of saliva, food and bacteria; it forms a film and collects on teeth, it can be brushed and removed from the teeth.
Tartar is a hard, brown substance which is formed when plaque is not removed by brushing. Tartar damages the teeth, causes painful, inflamed gums (gingivitis), and is full of bacteria that can enter the blood causing damage to vital organs such as the kidneys, heart and liver. Tartar cannot be removed by brushing and will require an ultrasonic scale and polish to remove it. If it is not removed, it will continue to build up and could cause gum disease, abscesses, decay and tooth loss.
Dental procedures at Carmel Vets – Dental procedures are a lengthy process and can take several hours to complete. To improve the safety and welfare of our patients, we have moved to a two-stage dental process.
Stage 1 – Duration 2 hours - During the first anaesthetic, we will fully assess the mouth, dental x-rays will be done, the teeth will be scaled and polished, any wobbly teeth will be removed.
The dental xrays will give us a better understanding of any damage to the roots below the gum line, this information will help us to identify the teeth that need to be removed at Stage 2 and the time that this will take.
If the dental xrays indicate that the teeth are healthy and do not need removal, Stage 1 will be the only treatment required.
Stage 2 – Duration depends on the number or complexity of extractions – This stage will normally be booked 4-6 weeks after Stage 1. The mouth will be reassessed and the teeth will be removed, some teeth have multiple roots and can be more complicated to remove than others.
There are no increased costs to you for the additional anaesthetics. We want to improve patient safety and reduce the length of time our patients are under anaesthetic.