A part of any good physical exam, an oral assessment is an important window into your pet’s overall health. Pet dental disease and infections within the mouth can spread via the blood stream to other parts of the body. Good oral health is an important part of preventative care for your pet.

Signs of dental disease can vary in pet’s and often time, other than the smell, you may not know they have any problems. Pets are remarkably stoic and can hide discomfort well. Signs of oral and dental disease in pets include the following:

1. Bad breath
2. Loose or discolored teeth
3. Teeth covered in heavy tartar
4. Drooling or dropping of food from the mouth
5. Bleeding around the mouth
6. Loss of appetite or loss of weight
7. Pet’s shying away from you when you touch the mouth area
8. Chattering of teeth

Proper dental cleanings in pets require general anesthesia. This allows for a professional dental cleaning and enables us to look under the gum-line to identify problems before they become painful and expensive to treat. This also requires the usage of dental radiographs.

The best prevention consists of frequent removal of dental plaque and tartar. If you would like further information of products that will help control deposition of plaque and tartar, contact us or you can find more information from the Veterinary Oral Health Council (www.vohc.org).