February - Dental Month
Dental Month is the perfect time to give our pets their smile back.
As small animal vets and vet nurses we spend a significant amount of our time on pet dentistry; unsurprising when surveys suggest about eighty percent of pets over one-year-old would benefit from improved oral health.
Healthy teeth are white, gums are a pale colour and there should be no offensive smell.
Problem signs include yellow, brown or black tooth discolouration, red or bleeding gums, nasty smell, altered eating or drooling behaviours or other signs of discomfort like rubbing or pawing at the mouth.
As with our own teeth preventative measures will promote a healthy mouth and delay the need for more intervention.
While brushing your pet’s teeth may seem far-fetched we know this daily routine will really help the teeth, and if slowly and correctly introduced can be well tolerated and rewarding.
Animal toothpastes are usually fish or chicken flavoured to satisfy the whims of our mint-hating pets, and also detergent and foaming agent free to keep them happy. The good ones contain enzymes that destroy the germs that cause tartar build up.
Although not as effective as brushing with toothpaste an array of chews, toys, supplements, additives and diets also exist to help our pet’s teeth and for some individuals can prove highly effective.
Dental procedures under general anaesthetic are a regular part of our job. This way we can safely and thoroughly scale and polish teeth back to a healthy shiny white, and also examine, probe or even X-ray teeth. This detailed examination often reveals more extensive problems than can be appreciated in a conscious examination.
Our vets are skilled and experienced at extracting teeth in all shapes and sizes of pets when this proves necessary to restore the mouth back to full health.
Cats in particular are prone to FORLs (Feline Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesions), the visibility and extent of which is only clearly apparent from X-rays.
Last summer the refurbishment of our clinical area included a new dedicated room for dentistry and the purchase of a dental X-ray machine.
Tooth X-rays can really help the vet and your pet: evidence of that invisible situation under the gum helps make the best treatment plan, and improves efficiency and precision of the extraction process.
Oral checks are part of any general health check, if you have concerns please contact us.
Email. admin@fentonvets.co.uk
