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February Is Pet Dental Health Month
 Symptoms of Periodontal Disease
What Can You Do?
What Does a Cleaning Involve
Anesthesia-Free Dental Cleanings
Our Christmas Donation
Pet Dental Health Month
February is National Pet Dental Health Month. Assigning this month to recognize that our pets have teeth too highlights the importance of maintaining good oral health. Even with these awareness-raising programs, dental disease persists as the most common disease seen in veterinary offices every year. According to the American Veterinary Dental Society, 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats have some degree of periodontal disease by the age of three. It is caused by an accumulation of plaque, which consists of naturally occurring bacteria, saliva, and food particles. Plaque, the cause of that “fuzzy” feeling you notice on your teeth in the morning, is constantly forming in the mouth. People brush away their plaque accumulation at least twice a day. Any plaque that isn’t removed by our daily brushing hardens into tartar (calculus), which cannot be removed by brushing. We visit our dental hygienist twice a year to have the tartar removed.
When plaque and tartar are allowed to accumulate on the teeth, periodontal disease gets a foothold. Gingivitis is the first stage of periodontal disease. The gum (gingiva) becomes irritated by the  presence of plaque and becomes red and swollen. This early stage of periodontal disease is reversible by a thorough dental cleaning.
If gingivitis is left untreated, the irritated gum will begin to pull back from the tooth in an attempt to get away from the offending plaque. This stage is referred to as periodontitis. As the irritated gum pulls away, small pockets form under the gumline allowing even more plaque and tartar to accumulate. As the pockets expand, more plaque spreads deeper and deeper below the gumline and down the root of the tooth. As the infection continues, the tooth will loosen and, finally, fall out. This is a painful process and cannot be reversed. The good news is that periodontitis, if discovered early enough, can be controlled with periodontal surgery on the affected tooth (or teeth) and careful home care (for the rest of the pet’s life).
Periodontal disease is a very serious problem but it is really only the beginning of the problems that plaque can cause. There are about 10 billion bacteria in each milligram of plaque. (A milligram is equal to about 0.000035 ounces.) These bacteria are picked up by the bloodstream and transported all around the body. They can cause very serious systemic complications. Oral bacteria have been found in the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and joints of animals (and people) causing serious health problems. Pets with poor oral health suffer chronic health conditions and shortened life spans. I don’t know about you but I would really appreciate having more time with my pet.
What Are the Symptoms of Periodontal Disease?
Bad breath is most often the first thing that you will notice. If you look in your pet’s mouth you may notice some redness along the gum line and a discoloration on the tooth (tartar is light brown in color). Your pet may show tenderness and not want you to touch their mouth. There may be excessive drooling or some dropping of food as they eat. Pet owners sometimes notice blood on the hair around the mouth or in the water bowl after their pet has taken a drink. Some pets have so much oral pain that they stop eating. Early detection and therapy is vital in order to avoid or lessen the health complications of poor oral health. At your pet’s annual visit your veterinarian will routinely examine your pet’s mouth, discuss your pet’s oral condition, and make recommendations for treatment if necessary. However, if you are seeing any of the symptoms listed above, we’d recommend making an appointment for an oral examination. The periodontal disease process can happen fairly quickly and waiting till your pet’s next annual exam to have the oral examination performed may be too late.
So, to recap, plaque accumulates, damages tissues in the mouth, teeth fall out, immune system is stressed, and your pet gets heart disease (or kidney or liver disease or arthritis) and dies younger than they would have had there been a good plaque control program for them.
What Can You Do?
Teeth brushing is the gold standard of home oral care. We’ve found some very helpful videos for learning how to teach your pet to allow you to brush their teeth.
American Veterinary Medical Association
Purina
Cornell Feline Health
Brushing must be done once a day and be sure to use toothpaste that is formulated for dogs and cats as human toothpastes are not made to be swallowed. While you are training your pet to allow tooth brushing, remember to be patient. This can be a very odd thing for some animals. If you proceed too  fast with your training regime your pet may become totally unwilling to allow any attempt at teeth brushing. Short, but fun, training sessions usually create good results and your pet will receive a lifetime of benefits.
If tooth brushing just isn’t going to work for you or your pet, there are other options. Oral rinses formulated for use in pets can be effective in plaque reduction. These need to be used daily also to achieve the best effect. Dental diets and dental chews can be very useful. Look for the Veterinary Oral Health Council’s Seal of Acceptance on the package. That means the product has been tested and proven to reduce plaque and tartar accumulation. There are several water additives on the market now but only one has received the VOHC® Seal of Acceptance. HealthyMouth™ is added to your pet’s water bowl. It needs to be the only source of water for your pet. It is available only through veterinarians. HealthyMouth™ now has a gel which also has received the  VOHC® Seal of Acceptance. This product is applied to your pet’s teeth once daily. Both of these products have been proven to be very effective in reducing the accumulation of plaque and tartar. Please speak with your veterinarian or the veterinary staff for recommendations on the best products and procedures for you and your pet.
What Does a Dental Cleaning Involve?
Procedures vary from clinic to clinic in regards to pre-anesthetic, anesthetic, and prophylactic procedure protocols. At East Hilliard Veterinary Services we strive to offer the very best care. We use the safest anesthetics, up-to-date monitoring equipment, and the most progressive veterinary dental care to ensure the best experience for your pet. The anesthetic protocol and the degree of training of the staff involved with your pet's prophylactic treatment (teeth cleaning) are the best available.
When your pet comes to us for cleaning, the doctors will do a physical examination and run blood tests to determine how well your pet's internal organs are functioning. Sometimes we need to delay an anesthetic procedure and work with you to improve your pet's health status before a cleaning is performed. If exam and test results show your pet to be healthy for anesthesia, an injection of a tranquilizer plus a pain control medication is given. Your pet is returned to the kennel area for about 10-15 minutes while the medications take effect. Then a small area on your pet's front leg is shaved where an intravenous catheter is placed, and intravenous fluids are started. These fluids are balanced electrolyte solutions that maintain hydration, support organ function, and help maintain blood pressure. They are administered during the entire dental procedure via a fluid pump that regulates the flow based on the patient's weight and health conditions. Then, a short-acting anesthetic induction agent is administered via the intravenous catheter. As the patient becomes sleepy, a breathing tube is placed in the trachea for attachment to a mixture of oxygen and a gas anesthesia. Monitors are connected to the patient that will keep track of your pet's heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure, blood-oxygen saturation levels, and body temperature. Any changes from normal will be detected immediately and adjustments made as needed. These monitors help us maintain an even level of anesthesia. Your pet is also monitored by a technician who will keep a written record of your pet's heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure readings, and level of anesthesia.
Once the patient is sleeping and stable, we will begin the cleaning procedure. There are several distinct steps in a complete prophylactic treatment. Not all clinics perform such thorough and complete therapy.
 - A complete oral exam is performed, oral conditions are charted tooth by tooth, and any abnormalities (such as fractures, gingival recession, and resorptive lesions) are noted.
- Tartar is removed from the crowns of the teeth through the use of an ultrasonic dental cleaner. The subgingival (below the gumline) surfaces of the teeth are cleaned using specially designed curettes. If necessary, root planing is also performed.
- The gums are probed for periodontal pockets (areas where the bacteria have loosened the attachments around the teeth).
- The teeth are then polished. This smoothing of the enamel helps to slow the return of tartar.
- A chlorhexidine solution is used to flush out any debris that may be remaining subgingivally.
- Fluoride foam is applied to the surfaces of the teeth to help strengthen the enamel.
- OraVet, another barrier against the reaccumulation of plaque, is applied to the teeth.
- Finally, any abnormalities identified during the cleaning process are examined by dental x-rays using our digital dental x-ray unit.
- The doctor will then attend to any problems found.
- Once the dental procedure is complete, your pet is recovered and returned to his/her kennel with soft padded blankets. When fully awake and able to walk, your pet will be ready to go home.
Anesthesia-Free Dental Cleanings
Many groomers and pet store personnel (non-veterinary professionals) are offering anesthesia-free dental cleanings. However, the results that the pet owner sees are purely cosmetic. At best, there is no long-lasting value to this procedure. At worst, serious damage can be caused to the teeth and gums by these inappropriate and incomplete dental cleanings. For more information, please refer to this article from the American Veterinary Dental College.
Our Christmas Donation
The staff, doctors, and clients of East Hilliard Veterinary Services donated a total of $825.00 to the Military Working Dog Cooling Vest Project for our 2011 Christmas donation. This amount is enough to buy two complete kits. Thanks so much to all of our clients who participated again this year.
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