Dentistry
Our Vet, Ralf Konen has been awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Small Animal Dentistry.
A few words from Ralf;
I have always enjoyed dentistry. Periodontal disease is the number one health problem in small animal patients. Around 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have some form of periodontal disease by the time they reach 2 years of age.
A lot of our pets are therefore in discomfort with their teeth, and many owners are not aware of it.
Kittens have 26 deciduous teeth which fully emerge between 6-8 weeks old. Cats 30 permanent teeth are emerged by 6-7 months of age. .
Puppies have 28 deciduous teeth which fully emerge at about 6 weeks old. Dogs have a total of 42 permanent teeth which are emerged by 6-7 months of age.
Your Pet's dental health is more important than you realize.
Bad dental health can lead to and be the cause of many problems including; pain, difficulty eating, and tooth loss. The bacteria in the mouth can also spread to other areas of the body and cause problems with the heart, kidneys or liver.
At home dental care is the first stage of stopping dental disease.
What to do?
Brushing your pets teeth.
Ideally this would be done everyday, like us, to prevent the build up of plaque. However, it's not always that easy. Here are some tips on how to do it;
What you need:
- Pet toothpaste; these are flavoured like poultry or fish and do not contain fluoride.
- A toothbrush with soft-medium bristles.
- Lots of patience.
- Treats
It can be a slow process but is an important part of their health management.
- Start slow, with just your finger rub around and inside the mouth, then reward and praise your pet.
- Repeat daily and slowly introduce the toothpaste so they can taste it.
- Once they are used to your finger, introduce the toothbrush with the toothpaste on.
- Once they are happy or okay with the toothbrush sensation, you can slowly increase the time until you can spend 1 minute on each side of the mouth.
Some pets never get used to the sensations and just don't like having their teeth brushed. Don't worry we can help in other ways.
Oral Health Checklist
Checking your pets mouth is an easy way to assess dental health.
Things to look for;
- Check the gums are a nice pale pink colour.
- Check for the build-up of plaque and tartar on the surface of the tooth. It is usually a yellow or brown colour.
- Check the smell of their breath.
- Are the gums bleeding?
- Are any teeth broken or damaged?
If any of these things seems off to you, the next step is to get them booked in with one of our Vets. They will do an oral exam in a consultation and let you know their findings.
Get a free toothbrush and toothpaste sample at the clinic today!
What happens during a Dental?
All our dentals are performed under General Anesthetic, this can last up to two hours depending on the severity of the dental health.
Because of the potential length of the treatment we will do a pre-anesthetic blood test on your cat or dog. This checks things like their liver and kidney function to make sure they are healthy enough to withstand the procedure.
Your pet will have an intravenous cannula placed in their leg so that drugs and fluids can be given efficiently.
Once your pet is under anaesthetic, a full set of mouth x-rays will be completed and then a full oral assessment.
Once we have finished the charting of the state of your pets mouth, we will call you to inform you of what has been found, and let you know the plan.
Any areas where extractions are needed will be injected with a local anesthetic, to block any pain from this area. All the remaining teeth will be scaled (cleaned) and polished.
COHAT
What is it?
COHAT stands for Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment.
Your vet can visually assess your pets teeth during a consultation. However, their are many aspects of dental health that can't be assessed whilst your pet is conscious.
They need to have a General Anesthetic where the vet can properly look at the mouth. During this they measure the pocket depth around each tooth, to check the health of the surrounding tissues. They make a very in-depth chart of your pets mouth, and will perform full mouth dental x-rays which show many abnormalities below the gum line.
The importance of dental x-rays
50% of dental abnormalities can be missed on visual examination alone.
Dental x-rays can reveal underlying abnormalities and weakness or fractures in the jaw.
Here are some of the common abnormalities diagnosed by dental x-ray;
- Missing teeth - not just ones that have fallen out! This is generally a genetic problem and is more common in small breed and brachycephalic dogs. It is important to determine whether the tooth is missing, unerupted or impacted.
- Unerupted or impacted teeth - They have not come through the gum line, due to underdevelopment misalignment or blockage. They can cause cysts and result in the surrounding bone and teeth being affected. Extraction of these teeth is usually required.
- Persistent deciduous teeth - Baby teeth still present after the adult tooth has erupted. These can cause the adult tooth to erupt at an abnormal angle and lead to overcrowding. They can cause material to get stuck in-between the teeth than can cause periodontitis.
- Canine tooth resorption - Where there is destruction of tooth structure that results in nerve (pulp) exposure. This means that bacteria can enter and tooth root abscess' and resorptive lesions can occur.
- Feline tooth resorption - Caused by the cats own cells destroying the tooth from beneath the enamel. At least half of cats will have one or more lesions in their lifetime. The affected teeth can be very painful and sensitive as the nerve may be exposed.
- Tooth root abscess - Caused by bacteria entering the root canal of the tooth which leads to a painful infection. This occurs when the tooth is damaged by trauma or periodontal disease and the pulp is exposed.
