According to the American Veterinary Dental Society, 70% of adult cats and 80% of adult dogs show symptoms of oral disease. This is an excellent reminder of how important your pet’s dental condition is for their overall health. Strong oral hygiene will also help prevent infections that can spread through the bloodstream to affect major organs such as your pet’s liver, kidneys, and heart.
Your pet’s dental care is not different than your own dental care; it requires constant maintenance and oversight. Our pets use their mouths for so much more than just eating, and gum and tooth pain can make life really hard on them. This is why we perform a dental exam during every single visit to make sure no issues have arisen.
Signs that your pet may be experiencing dental problems include difficulty chewing or swallowing, red or bleeding gums, listlessness or disinterest in food, drooling, and failure to groom in cats. Fortunately, the disease progresses slowly, and there are actions we can take. If you should notice any of these symptoms in your pet, make an appointment for dental pet services at our veterinary clinic as soon as possible.
A dental cleaning at Lenape Veterinary Clinic involves the scraping and removing of tartar build-up and polishing of the teeth. Full mouth dental radiographs (x-rays) are taken to evaluate the health of the teeth under the gum line. Sometimes dental abscesses are found in teeth that look healthy from the outside. This shows the importance of dental x-rays, which can only be done with the pet under anesthesia. Then, any infected or unhealthy teeth are extracted. Our patients are much happier after their teeth have been cleaned and problem teeth removed!