Clean teeth and a healthy mouth are extremely important for your pet. Just like in humans, plaque and tartar build-up on your pet’s teeth can lead to serious, even life threatening health problems. We recommend brushing your pet’s teeth regularly to keep them in top condition, but we also understand this can be difficult in general and nearly impossible with some animals. Thus, we offer our clients and their pets a complete array of veterinary dental care services including dental cleanings, tooth extractions, and other forms of oral surgery. Some clients like to schedule dental cleanings annually which can be enough for some pets, but may not be for others. We recommend scheduling dental work whenever you notice obvious signs of poor oral health:

 

 

• Constant bad breath (unpleasant breath right after eating is expected).

• Weight loss

• Decreased appetite. Infected gums and tooth pain can result in a reduced appetite and significant weight loss.

• Heavily stained and plaque-covered teeth

• Excessive drooling

• Blood in the saliva or around the teeth and gums

• Broken or missing teeth

• Lumps or other abnormal formations on or around the gums

 

All dental work requires that your pet receive general anesthetic, but the risks are very minimal and we conduct pre-anesthetic blood screening prior to procedures involving older patients and/or patients with pre-existing health concerns. Most dental work does not require an extended stay for your pet, so they should be ready to pick up the same day with their shiny new smile.