Dental Care For Our Pets

Dental visits for pets are more familiar than you think

‍With most of us considering our pets to be an integral part of the family, it may comfort you to know that our veterinary dental health procedures share many similarities with the dental care you receive.

Read on to learn more about some of the key similarities between human and pet dentistry.

Dental charting‍

Just like in humans, before we perform dental treatments on your pet, we will first “chart” their oral health. This involves assessing each tooth visually, with special measuring instruments, and with dental x-rays, and making notations about any unhealthy lesions that may be present (such as unhealthy deepening of the gum pocket around a tooth suggestive of periodontal disease). In this way, we can better monitor your pet’s dental health over time and therefore make informed recommendations about the most suitable care for them.

Scaling and polishing

Just like in people, pets undergoing a dental procedure will have their teeth cleaned with an ultrasonic scaler. This is the fine-pointed instrument that gently vibrates against teeth to clean off hard tartar accumulations, whilst emitting a stream of water to prevent overheating of the tooth. After scaling, your pet’s teeth are polished to leave the tooth surface extra clean and smooth.

Nerve blocks for extractions

Should your pet require a tooth to be extracted, rest assured that they will receive the same numbing nerve blocks as you would! Prior to the extraction, we use a fine needle to deposit local anaesthetic medicine around specific nerve sites in your pet’s mouth, so they won’t feel a thing! This also helps your pet to remain more comfortable when they wake up from their procedure.

Pain relief

Just like us after an extraction, we will send your pet home with several days of pain relief medication to help ensure a comfortable recovery.

What makes pet dental care different from yours (and why it matters)

‍While there are a lot of similarities between dental procedures in dogs and cats and what you’d undergo in a routine dental check-up, there are also some important differences that need to be considered to ensure the best results for your pet after any dental work.

“Open wide!”

It’s not uncommon that we get questioned on the necessity of a general anaesthetic for a pet dental procedure. Owners may be concerned about the associated cost or simply concerned about their pet “going under”.

Even if your pet is extremely cooperative, we’re yet to find a dog or cat that will stay completely still for a thorough scale and polish (cleaning above and below the gumline with an ultrasonic scaler and polishing tool), not to mention holding completely still and not biting down on delicate in-mouth x-ray plates during dental x-rays.

Additionally, the noises and sensations of any dental work would be very stressful for the average pet, and we’re all about minimising your pet’s anxiety.

“Tell me where it hurts”

Unfortunately, whilst we’d love to be able to ask your pet where it hurts, we don’t have Doctor Dolittle on staff! This is why we would ideally like to perform oral x-rays in every pet with dental issues, so that we don’t miss any tooth root or jawbone problems that just aren’t visible on the surface.

“Rest and recover”

Whilst humans usually take care of themselves for several days after a tooth extraction with icepacks and careful mouth handling, this isn’t something we can reasonably expect from our pets! For this reason, it’s important that you closely follow any post-operative instructions we give after your pet’s dental procedure, such as leaving protective “bucket collars” on, feeding soft foods only, and administering medications as prescribed.

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