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Dentistry

How often do you go to the dentist to keep your teeth and gums healthy?


Many pets need dental care, too. And while at home care can greatly reduce tartar and gingivitis, some pets still need routine cleanings. Small breed dogs are the most commonly affected pets, but cats and big dogs can have trouble, as well. Our dental services are comprehensive, meaning we chart, scale, polish, and x-ray all teeth on every dental cleaning. We don't want to miss anything that might be causing your pet pain or discomfort!


Pets don't stop eating due to dental disease.

Why not? ... They have no idea someone can fix it! They know they have to eat to survive, so they keep eating. Some pets may show some changes, such as chewing on one side, occasionally dropping food bites, or even just chewing on toys less often. More commonly, we notice the odor! Dog and cat breath shouldn't be THAT stinky!

Charting

A probe is used to check for pockets between the gums and tooth.


A pocket may indicate infection, periodontal disease, or an abscess.  

A deep pocket lets us know that a tooth is diseased and may need to be removed.

Scaling

An ultrasonic scaler is used to remove tartar and plaque from the tooth surfaces.


This is essential to remove all the bacteria trapped along with the tartar. This is the step that gets rid of the yellow and brown chunks. It is also used below the gumline to stop periodontal disease!

Polishing

Scaling can leave small scratches on the tooth surface. Polishing gets rid of these. Without polishing, tartar would build up even faster!


It also leaves the tooth smooth and shiny!

Dental X-rays

Teeth are made up of two main parts; the crown and the roots.


A healthy crown is easy to see, but roots are tricky... Dental x-rays are the only way to accurately evaluate them. Root abscesses are painful!


We can also use this detail-oriented x-ray to assess small bones in the feet of our patients!

Extractions

Infected, diseased, or abscessed teeth need to go!


We are skilled at extracting cat and dog teeth. They can be tricky! Many of them have multiple roots, requiring sectioning (cutting in between the roots), and others have roots almost twice as long as the crown! We utilize dental blocks to numb the areas we are working on, gingival flaps to prevent dry sockets and speed up healing, and a high-speed drill to get it all done as easily as possible.

Sealants

Broken teeth are not uncommon.

Chewing on hard things and injuries are the most common causes.


If there is pulp exposure (the middle of the tooth with the nerve and blood supply), these damaged teeth need to be removed or treated with a root canal (we refer those out!). If the pulp is still tucked in there safely, we can reshape and seal the tooth. This prevent bacteria from getting into the porous part of the tooth under the enamel, which can lead to infection. It also decreases the chance that it will break further.

Here's some examples of our dental care.

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