Dr. Kerri Blackburn

In honor of National Pet Dental Month (February) we are highlighting the dangers of dental disease in pets.

If your teeth looked poor, you would want to see your dentist, before things went too far and teeth started falling out, not to mention the pain involved…

Unfortunately, many of the pets we see have dental disease FAR beyond this stage as seen by the pictures below.

Dental disease of this magnitude results in significant amounts of pain and the need to remove teeth to prevent pain and chronic infection of the mouth.  This level of debris and bacteria results in a massive dose of bacteria every time a pet swallows, putting the rest of the body at risk of infection as well.  Dental care is as important for pets as it is for all of us. Brushing the teeth daily is the best way to keep teeth healthy. Dental treats, chews, and solutions are the next best alternative, but regardless of the measures taken it is also necessary to have the teeth cleaned professionally, just like your dentist does for your teeth. Many people are nervous about the use of sedatives and anesthesia that is involved in the cleaning procedure, but the medications, procedures and drugs are the same as those used in sedation dentistry in people and are really very safe. At Animal Medical Hospital we take each’s pet’s dental health and safety during a cleaning procedure very seriously. If you have questions about your pet’s dental health, or a cleaning procedure, our staff would be happy to discuss this with you.