Dental Problems In Pets

 

Healthy Gums (Gingivae)

• Coral pink (except for natural pigmentation)

• Firm tissue with close conformity with tooth

• No bleeding on chewing or brushing

• Gingival attachment is to the enamel at the base of the crown

• Normal sulcus depth (dip between gum and tooth) is up to 3mm in the dog and less than 1mm in the cat

 

Every single day, I look into the mouths of my patients and I see dental disease! Patient after patient. Dogs, cats, and rabbits too! For now we'll stick to dogs and cats.

Why do they have dental disease? The most important reason is that they don't brush their teeth every day. But animals don't do that, do they? No, but they need to! Their teeth work just the same way as yours and mine. Neglect brings its consequence. And wild animals know that consequence only too well.

So what is the nature of this disease? Firstly an accumulation of plaque - acquired from the mineral and protein content of saliva - builds up on the surface of the teeth. This develops further into thicker layers of tartar. Then the edge of the gum is lifted away from the surface of the teeth, and the tartar encroaches underneath the gum, and starts to part the root from the gum, and later from the tooth socket. Ligaments holding the tooth in place start to deteriorate, and we have "Periodontal disease", which progresses further to a loose tooth. Along the way there is toothache. And infection. And in the end the tooth is lost.

 

Plaque - the cause of the problem

• Soft sticky paste-like appearance

• Only clearly visible when stained.

• Consists of bacteria in a matrix with other components (food, dead cells)

• Plaque forms in hours but becomes more harmful as it matures

• Plaque builds on all surfaces in the mouth but more so on the teeth as they have a static surface

• Plaque bacteria produce products (volatile sulphides) which cause bad breath (halitosis)

• Plaque is the cause of gingivitis and periodontitis

• Plaque is the precursor of tartar (calculus)

• Tartar always has plaque on and in its surface

 

 

 

Mild Periodontitis

• Gingivitis and also inflammation of the periodontal ligament caused by plaque (+/- tartar)

• Migration of gingival attachment leading to periodontal pocket formation

• Maximum pocket depths measure 3 to 4mm in the dog and 1mm in the cat

• Loss of some bone at the top of the socket (up to 25% of root attachment)

• Breakdown of tooth support is irreversible

• Disease progression may be halted by a combination of adequate dental homecare with professional periodontal treatment

 

Action? Well it depends where you start. If you have a young pet, or one with currently good teeth - get brushing - every day. Ask your vet practice for appropriate high quality dental products to help you with this. I think the "Finger brushes" are great for doing this job at home. Also consider using Hills t/d diet. Available from your vet it is the next best thing to tooth brushing. It's a dry, fibre based diet, which the pet has to chew thoroughly. In the process of chewing through it, the "kibble" acts as a tooth brush and helps to remove early plaque from the dental enamel. It does work! Available as Canine or Feline t/d.

If your pet already suffers from dental plaque or tartar, then it’s time to visit your vet. If the problem is caught early, you may be advised to use a rigorous cleaning programme. But if not, a dental session under general anaesthetic will be necessary to get things up to scratch. During this procedure, tartar & plaque will be removed, and seriously damaged teeth will probably be removed, and all the rest will be scaled thoroughly. The gum margins will be cleaned carefully, probably with the assistance of an ultrasonic descaler. And then all the teeth will be polished, to reduce the ability of future plaque to adhere to the surface. Finally, in many cases, a short course of antibiotics will be necessary.

And then the regular cleaning must begin - or you’ll be back to square one before long. Talk to your veterinary nurses about home dental care. It’s really important.

 

Homecare

• The earlier you start the better

• Daily Brushing acheives the best results

• Use of Chlorhexidene rinses/gels

• Healthy dental treats

Professional Treatment:
Performed under general anaesthesia

Routine Dental Prophylaxis

• Scaling of teeth both above and below the gum line

• Polishing to make the enamel smooth

Further treatments which may be required

• Removal of gingival hyerplasia

• Dental extractions

• Periodontal surgery

Please Note that the benefits achieved by professional treatments will be short lived if effective Homecare is not continued.

Ask at the surgery about Dental Health products and also dental care diets such as Hill's T/D