Pet Dental Cleaning in Charleston, SC
Veterinary dentistry is essential for your pet’s overall health, preventing certain diseases, and enhancing their quality of life. Routine cleanings and exams are the first steps in ensuring optimal dental health for your furry family members. At Hampton Park Veterinary Hospital, we provide comprehensive pet dental cleanings to help keep your pet’s mouth healthy.
What is Veterinary Dentistry
Dogs and cats Pets require regular dental care, just like we do. Veterinary dentistry includes a detailed oral exam followed by full dental x-rays to ‘see’ below the gum line, ultrasonic scaling of the teeth to remove the tartar build up, extraction of loose, broken, or infected teeth, then polishing and the application of a sealant to slow down the reaccumulation of new tartar. These procedures should be performed by a skilled and experienced veterinarian.
Pet Dental Care at Home
Implementing a dental hygiene plan at home offers a significant health advantage for pets and a financial advantage for pet owners. It helps prevent serious diseases associated with both teeth and gums.. A combination of a proper diet, appropriate chew products, some home dental remedies, and regular teeth brushing goes a long way in maintaining your pet’s dental health.
It would be ideal to brush your pet’s teeth every day, but that may not be possible for all pet owners for various reasons. If your pet doesn’t let you, there are many products available that can help you improve their oral health, such as water additives, certain dental chews, topical wipes, enzymatic toothpaste, and specially formulated dental diets.
Why Do Pets Need Dental Cleanings?
Pet’s need dental cleanings for the same reason we as humans do. When plaque on teeth isn’t removed regularly, it turns into hard tartar, which irritates the gums and can result in infection, inflammation, and eventually periodontal disease. When pets don’t receive early treatment, periodontal disease can quickly progress, causing irreversible damage, such as abscesses, gum separation, loss of bone that supports teeth, and eventually tooth loss. It could also cause many other illnesses, including kidney, liver, heart, and blood infections. Only professional cleaning can remove the plaque and tartar already build-up on your pet’s teeth. But you can help it from taking a foothold in the first place. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Signs It's Time For a Pet Dental Cleaning
Signs that you might need to schedule a pet dental cleaning include:
- Bad Breath
- Loose Teeth
- Extra Teeth/Retained Baby Teeth
- Discolored Teeth/Visible Tarter
- Abnormal Drooling
- Reduced Appetitie
- Bleeding or Swelling
What Does a Cat or Dog Dental Cleaning Involve
A typical pet dental cleaning at Hampton Park Veterinary Hospital involves the following:
- General anesthesia: To properly perform veterinary dental care services, your pet needs to be under anesthesia. We use the safest anesthesia protocols for all of our patients. During the procedure, your pet’s vitals are monitored continuously, and this monitoring and support continue until your pet is awake and alert.
- Digital x-rays: We use diagnostic tools to evaluate the oral cavity and look for early signs of disease. Digital dental x-ray allows us to view the teeth and the supporting bone structure, providing an exceptionally detailed image.
- Teeth cleaning: After a thorough examination of your pet’s mouth, tooth scaling will be performed, using ultrasonic scalers to remove plaque and tartar above and below the gum line. The tartar below the gum line causes the most significant periodontal disease, so it must be thoroughly removed. After scaling, the teeth are polished to remove microscopic scratches and decrease the rate of subsequent plaque build-up.
- Gum disease treatment if necessary: If we find any signs of gum disease, we’ll treat the infection.
- Extractions if necessary: We will also perform tooth extractions if we find that your pet’s tooth is loose, fractured or abscessed and cannot be saved.
How Often Should You Get Your Pet's Teeth Cleaned?
This depends on the individual pet’s needs. Some pets never need vet dental cleaning because they eat the right food, receive dental home care, and have good genes. However, other pets need a dental cleaning every year because they eat the wrong foods, receive no home dental care, and have inferior genes. Most pets land somewhere between never and yearly.
Need to Schedule a Pet Dental Evaluation and Cleaning in Charleston, SC?
Call Us Today!
At Hampton Park Veterinary Hospital, we know that the health of your companion animals means a lot to you and your family, and we are committed to helping you keep your pet’s dental health in tiptop shape. Our veterinarians are experienced in preventing, locating, and treating any issues that might go unnoticed by even the most dedicated pet owner. Contact us today for your pet’s dental assessment and cleaning appointment!
