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DENTAL CARE Dental hygiene is as important for your pet’s health as it is for you.  Dental disease if left untreated leads to bacteria disseminating into the blood stream targeting kidney, heart, and liver that can cause permanent organ damage.  Many of these problems can be avoided by having your pet’s teeth examined and cleaned on a regular basis. SOME SIGNS OF DENTAL PROBLEMS INCLUDE: •  Bad breath (halitosis) •  A yellowish-brownish plaque on the teeth near the gumline •  Buildup of tartar •  Swollen and inflamed gums that tend to bleed. •  Reluctance to eat and acting depressed. •  Dropping food and having to repeatedly retrieve it. •  Drooling excessively. •  Loose or missing teeth. •  Pawing at the mouth. •  Swelling underneath the eye indicating an abscessed tooth. Veterinary dentistry is quite different from human dentistry.  For most of us, caring for our teeth has been part of our daily hygiene routine.  Consequently, our visits to the dentist are quite brief.  That is not necessarily true for our pets. A good oral examination and cleaning requires anesthesia. Since they cannot articulate where it hurts, panoramic xrays are typically needed to focus on problem areas. A thorough cleaning involves removal of tartar and plaque with a hand scaler.  Further cleaning especially underneath the gums (root planing) is done with an ultrasonic scaler.  Your pet’s teeth are then polished, lavaged with an antiseptic solution and treated with a fluoride solution.  A barrier sealant (oravet) can also be applied to slow down the return of bacterial plaque. Any advanced procedures such as cleft palate repair, mandibulectomy, root canals, etc, will be performed by Dr. Sharon Hoffman. CLICK HERE to see pictures and learn more about stages of Periodontal Disease.