When you smile the world smiles with you ……. but when you have bad teeth ……
Dental disease is the most common of health problems to affect pets in the UK. Not only is it a major cause of pain and suffering for our kpets but it often goes unnoticed by their owners because our pets can’t talk to us and tell us what is going on.
Cats and dogs have an incredible ability to seemingly ignore pain that would have their owners reaching for the pain killers and booking a trip to the dentist. Whilst they may appear to be carrying on as normal their smiles can hide a multitude of problems.
Vet’s understanding of dentistry has increased significantly in recent years with new treatments and management techniques now available. At Parkvets we perform a routine assessment of your pet’s teeth every time they come in for their health check and vaccination so that we can advise you early on of any problems . When a problem is identified early there is a lot that can be done to resolve the problem and restore the teeth to normal good health. Left unchecked problem teeth ultimately need to be removed.
Significantly a recent study in humans has suggested that people with good oral hygiene live longer – up to 10 years on average! Although we do not have similar statistics in our patients it is fair to assume a similar pattern would be seen.
Here are the signs we check for when we examine your pet’s teeth:-
- “Doggy breath” is not normal and is an indication that bacteria is present
- White deposits on the teeth indicate the presence of plaque
- Plaque becomes tartar and covers the teeth causing decay
- Red rims around the tooth indicate gingivitis
- Non idential teeth either side of the jaw can suggest broken teeth or abnormal swellings
- Discoloured teeth suggest damage to the tooth’s blood vessels
- Swellings on the side of the jaw may suggest an abscess
- Drooling, reluctance to eat or anger directed at food might indicate discomfort
During March and in support of Oral Care Month our dental nursing team will be offering free dental consultations, show you how to successfully brush your pet’s teeth and take away a FREE bag of Hills food specially formulated to protect your pet’s teeth.
Why not register you pet on the Hills website and get all the latest news and a £5 voucher to use at your vet’s to buy Hills food.
