February - Dental Health Month

Dental Health Month!

Just a reminder that February is Dental Health Month!  Periodontal Disease is a very serious disease in dogs and cats. As tarter builds up on your pets teeth, bacteria is released into the bloodstream.  That bacteria then begins to attack the body, namely the heart, kidneys and liver. Twice yearly or yearly dental cleanings are required to help keep your pet healthy and extend their lives. Remember that dogs and cats age more rapidly than us humans, so skipping a year on a dental for your pet would be like not going to the dentist or brushing your teeth for 14 years. No wonder they have bad breath!  

 So, what is involved in a dental cleaning at All Creatures?

All Creatures has state of the art dental equipment.  It all starts with our Dental Technician, Jody. Jody is a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT), and he also has extensive training in dental care for dogs and cats.  Your pet's visit to All Creatures starts at drop off, where you will be met by our dental technician or a surgery technician to go over your pet's dental and surgical needs (if your pet is also receiving surgery with his or her dental). Once checked in, we will draw blood and run a pre-anesthetic profile. This will help us to determine if your pet is healthy for anesthesia. All Creatures has state of the art laboratory equipment, we can run your pet's bloodwork the morning of the dental procedure!

Next, we will place an IV catheter. This allows us to administer induction anesthesia (the medication that will cause your animal to "be put under"). The catheter will also be used to administer IV fluids throughout the procedure. IV fluids hydrate the body, help flush the anesthetics from the body upon recovery, and maintain a safe bloodpressure while anesthetized. The IV catheter is also a safety measure. If your pet begins to have difficulty while under anesthesia, emergency medications can be administered safely and effectively. With this being said, anesthesia is very safe in healthy animals, and carries a small risk of complications.

 Once your pet is induced, an endotracheal tube is inserted into your pets trachea (windpipe) to allow for proper ventilation, administration of inhalant anesthesia to keep your pet under anesthesia, and to prevent any liquids from entering the lungs. This tube can cause some irritation after a dental, you can expect some coughing the next few days following a dental procedure. Sevoflourane is the only inhaled anesthetic used at All Creatures. It is the safest inhaled anesthetic on the market, providing a very rapid recovery.

 Once your pet is safely asleep, the dental work can begin. All Creatures has a fully equipped dental suite, which includes a drain table to keep your pet dry, a dental x-ray machine, an ultrasonic scaler, a polisher, and an array of high quality dental probes, scalers, elevators and extractors. If dental x-rays are indicated, they will be taken first. Our technician and doctors can then determine if a tooth needs to be extracted, or if the roots are healthy enough for the tooth/teeth in question to remain. Root planning is the most important step in any dental procedure. This step allows the dental technician to explore how deep the pockets are that surround the teeth.  This pocket should be very shallow, indicating that the gum tissue is firmly attached to the tooth, and not diseased.  Periodontal disease and gingivitis cause the gum tissue to recede, loosening tooth attachment, and allowing pockets for bacteria to dwell. 

 Next the teeth are hand scaled, which involves scraping all the tarter possible from the teeth.  Once hand scaled, the teeth are scaled with an ultrasonic scaler which removes the remaining tarter from the teeth. The teeth are then polished with dental toothpaste.  The technician then applies a fluoride treatment, essential in good dental health.  This is allowed to coat the teeth for several minutes, and is then washed off. The teeth are then coated with oravet. This is a dental plaque prevention gel that helps prevent new plaque from sticking to the tooth enamel. All Creatures highly recommends taking home oravet after a dental, and using it lifelong.  The gel is applied to the outside surfaces of the teeth once a week.  Oravet can make a huge difference in your pet's dental health. 

 Before and After pictures are provided to you on your pet's dental go home instructions along with notations if any teeth were already missing or extracted during the procedure. Owners are encouraged to feed a softened diet for 3-5 days after a dental.

 All Creatures is well-equipped to handle any tooth extraction your pet may require. Dental x-rays and root planning with help to determine if an extraction is necessary.