Prevention is the best medicine!
The Australian Veterinary Association has shown that 3 in 5 pets that visit veterinary clinics have dental disease. Dental disease is not always obvious to us as it is difficult to examine our pet’s mouths. That is why it is very important to get your pet’s teeth checked regularly at the vet clinic.
What is dental disease?
Plaque and tartar are a build-up of bacteria on your pet’s teeth. If left untreated the bacteria will cause inflammation of the gums (gingivitis). If the tartar is left to build up then the teeth can become diseased and rotten. This means that your pet is constantly swallowing potentially harmful bacteria. These bacteria can affect your pet’s overall health and make them sick. If you have ever had a toothache, you can understand the pain associated with severe dental disease.
What should we do?
Check your pet’s mouth as frequently as you can. This is done by simply lifting the gums. Gingivitis appears as redness of the gums above the tooth. A rotten tooth becomes unstable and the mouth will have a bad odour.
Regular dental checks by a veterinarian or a trained nurse are recommended.
The teeth will graded and intervention can be recommended if required.
Every other day brushing is what is recommended by the Australian Veterinary Dental Association. The next best things are DENTAL DIETS, HEALTHY MOUTH RINSE AND ORAVET CHEWS. Ongoing prevention is needed for the life of your pet.
More severe disease requires a DENTAL PROCEDURE whereby your pet will undergo a general anaesthetic for the teeth to be properly assessed, cleaned and treated as necessary.
This may simply be a scale and polish or more severe cases may require tooth extractions.
Overall, dental disease can be SERIOUS but it is NEVER TOO LATE to start dental care and prevention.
Dental Prophylaxis Products
- BRUSHING – Current recommendations are for EVERY OTHER DAY brushing with a soft toothbrush +/- pet toothpaste. DO NOT USE FLUORIDE-BASED TOOTHPASTE. Brushing is the best prevention for plaque build up
- DENTAL FOOD – Delicate Care Dental combines the physical action of chewing a special shaped biscuit and Biodental enzymes that help break down and prevent plaque build-up over time and reduce dental biofilms. Diet is one of the easiest ways of preventing dental disease because our animals have to eat! This diet is complete and balanced so you needn’t feed anything else!
- HEALTHY MOUTH – From the manufacturer: “When added daily to pets’ drinking water, or applied to teeth and gums with the topical gel applicator, the formula safely cleans teeth and gums, reducing plaque, oral bacteria that causes inflammation leading to dental disease and inhibiting the bacteria and germs that are the source of halitosis. Clinical trials and field use has also revealed that plaque, and bacterial reduction continues to improve the longer the product is used and that any remaining plaque is significantly softened, making the use of tooth brushing, dental diets and dental chew-bones even more effective for small animals.”
- ORAVET CHEWS –From the manufacturer: “The dual-action approach of OraVet Chews doesn’t just clean teeth and freshen breath. It creates a barrier to help protect against plaque, calculus, and bad breath.”