Dental disease is the most common infection affecting adult cats and dogs.

The absence of a truly natural diet means our pets' teeth are denied most of the friction required to wipe off food residue. Commercial foods all tend to become rather sticky inside the animal's mouth, attracting the formation of bacterial plaque - just as in our mouths.

Unlike our mouths, however, this film of plaque is usually not wiped or brushed off and over time it tens to become mineralised from salts in the saliva. This mineralised deposit is called tartar and it has a greenish brown colour.

This tartar deposit then provides more hiding places for plaque to form and a vicious cycle develops.

Once tartar forms, it cannot be brushed off. It has be removed with more sophisticated equipment. This practice uses an ultrasonic scaler to remove the tartar, which is quick and relatively gentle on the teeth.

The gum damage caused by this process shows itself initially as gingivitis: a thickened, red line where the gum meets the tooth.

As the process of infection form the plaque bacteria continues, the attachments between the tooth and the socket start to become attacked and gradually, the gum line starts to fall away form the tooth. This process is known as periodontitis.

The end process of all this would be loosening of the entire tooth.

Dental Procedures

An essential part of any dental procedure is the removal of any plaque or tartar that has developed behind/below the gum line. This is usually done with the ultrasonic scaler and an instrument called a curette.

The final steps in our dental procedure are to polish the teeth with an air-driven dental machine and, in cats, the application of a fluoride-rich solution.

Dental hygiene extends to the equipment used for the dental procedure; at this practice, all equipment used for these procedures is either sterilised between patients or disposable - used for just one patient.

Unfortunately, our patients cannot be asked to 'open wide' when the dental instruments are used! Consequently, we have to do these procedures under general anaesthesia.

Animals are treated and discharged on the same day with most animals, even after several dental extractions, going home for their supper!

PHOTO BELOW:
A dog with retained deciduous teeth ('milk teeth'). A post-operative view, after these teeth were removed, is shown further below.

Aftercare

As important as the clean up procedure itself is the aftercare.

Dogs - This is best done with a brush and paste. The brush we usually suggest is a finger brush which we find is easy to use and dogs will usually accept well. There are special non-lathering pastes designed especially for pets. Food items such as hide chews and rope toys can also help clean teeth. Several pet food manufacturers also make diets designed to help keep teeth clean (e.g. Hills t/d).

Cats - Cats don't tolerate brushing as well as dogs and very often it is difficult to get an adult cat with possibly sensitive gums to accept brushing. A combination of feedstuffs designed to clean most of the teeth (e.g. Hills t/d, Whiskas Dentibits) can be used, alongside pastes that can either be applied to the feet (consequently licked off) or into the food.