My Vet Animal Clinic will be discussing dental health for your dogs and cats in a four-part series this month! We will cover why dental health is important, what you can do at home, what we can do when your pet needs the next level of dental care and what products actually work! Even better- we're offering $25 off dental cleanings scheduled in the month of February.
So first up- why is dental health important?
Bad breath and cosmetics aside, dental health is extremely important for pets, just like it is for humans! The health of a pet's mouth directly correlates to their overall well being. When infections occur in the mouth, that bacteria has a gateway to other organs- like the heart, kidney and liver. In addition, when left untreated, dental disease can progress from mild plaque to serious and painful conditions like gingivitis, abscesses, and tooth loss.
Read on to learn why dental disease is the most commonly diagnosed condition in dogs and cats, and how to identify the four stages of periodontal disease.
How does your dog or cat develop dental disease?
Imagine not brushing your teeth twice a day. Forever. Even missing just one day- most of us couldn't stand how our mouth would feel. (The breath alone....gross!). The slimy plaque that forms daily from a mixture of bacteria, saliva and food particles builds up over time when it's not removed with daily brushing. This is the first stage of Periodontal Disease, as demonstrated by my lovely niece-doggy, Sprocket:
The bottom line is that without daily brushing, there's no way to avoid that plaque building up over time into a calcified substance known as dental calculus. The calculus often also causes inflammation of the gums, or gingivitis. That's when we run into some problems.
Once that dental calculus is there, it's not coming off without a professional scaling. I promise you, no one-time teeth brushing at the groomer, no minty additive in the water, no amount of Greenies or dental chews is going to get that off. It's as hard as concrete, and it's there to stay. It doesn't look pretty on the surface- but it's even uglier underneath.
Dental calculus and mild gingivitis is the second stage of periodontal disease, and looks like this:
Eventually, the calculus builds up enough to cause more inflammation and swelling in the gums. The gums may loosen their attachment from the tooth and move back from the tooth, exposing the root and other important structures. Things are getting serious now.... You're probably also not thrilled about hanging out with Prince or Princess Dragon Breath. This is the third stage of periodontal disease and it looks like this:
1) Pawing at the face
2) Refusal to eat dry dog food or hard/crunchy treats
3) Decreased appetite and weight loss
4) Tooth loss
5) Lethargy or other signs of pain
Regardless if they display symptoms or not, at this stage, your pet's overall health and happiness is likely affected. Here's some examples of this 4th stage of Periodontal Disease:
Caitlin DeWilde, DVM