Dental Disease and Your Pet

You have just left your veterinarian’s office and you have been told that your pet has tartar accumulated on the teeth and periodontal disease. They are recommending radiographs and a periodontal treatment. All you noticed was the smelly breath. What does all of this mean?

Periodontal disease (problems in the area around the teeth) is one of the most common health problems in companion animals. It is estimated that 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats older than 3 years of age suffer from some level of periodontal disease.

In addition to tooth loss, periodontal disease has other, more serious, consequences. The millions of bacteria present in an unhealthy mouth can spread to other parts of the body, such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, and the liver, causing disease in these vital organs. In small breed dogs with tiny jawbones, the bone destruction caused by periodontal disease can weaken the jawbone enough to cause a fracture.

The good news is that periodontal disease is completely preventable! Removing the plaque reverses the inflammatory process in the gingiva and restores the gums to health.

Daily tooth brushing, special diets, and chewing activity help prevent plaque from hardening into calculus. Once calculus is present, however, a professional cleaning is required.

Routine periodontal treatment involves sonic or ultrasonic scaling above and below the gum line. Because your veterinarian cannot simply tell your pet to “hold still,” these procedures require that your pet be placed under anesthesia. Anesthesia always has inherent risks. However, your veterinarian is experienced and the risk related to anesthesia is minimal. To further minimize the risk to your pet, your veterinarian may recommend blood and other tests prior to sedation. These are done before anesthesia to reveal any problem that may not be obvious from a physical examination. Dental x-rays are important to determine the amount of bone destruction present. Teeth with significant bone loss may benefit from periodontal surgery. Extraction is usually recommended for teeth with little bone support remaining.

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