Dentistry, I thought you were a veterinarian! Why does my pet need a dentist?
Dental health is a large part of your pet’s overall wellbeing. Similar to how you need to brush your teeth and go to the dentist every six months, your pet is the same!
What does a dental procedure entail?
When receiving a dental treatment your pet will need to go under general anesthesia so we can provide the most thorough dental possible. A veterinary technician will perform a comprehensive cleaning consisting of ultrasonic scaling, subgingival hand-scaling, polishing, and fluoride application. (Similar to a teeth cleaning at a dentist) Following the veterinary technician one of our veterinarians will do a thorough oral exam, examining each tooth individually, evaluating gingival health, as well as assessing for any abnormalities in the mouth. We are then able to perform any alternative needed dental procedures for example: applying dental bonding to small chips in tooth enamel, extractions, gingival flaps, and more. Our hospital has a digital dental x-ray unit which provides high quality dental images on your pet. Full mouth dental x-rays are recommended to provide a more complete evaluation of all the teeth since 28% of dogs and 42% of cats have hidden dental disease that cannot be seen on routine physical exams.
What kind of animals need a dental checkup?
Dental checkups are included in all of our annual exams. Oral health is important to not only the mouth, but the whole body! We are amazed at how many clients tell us how young and energetic their pets are after getting dentals !
I get dental x-rays at my dentist does my pet need them?
Dental x-rays are always recommended with any dental cleaning or procedure. Your pets do not talk so they cannot tell us when they have a sore tooth — we can identify important lesions in the tooth, bone, or under the gum line that they cannot tell us.
Woah! I need to schedule an oral health exam right now! What do I do?
Give us a call at (586) 416-8800 and schedule an appointment! Any doctor at Parkway Small Animal and Exotic Hospital can examine your pet’s oral health. Doctors Pope and Engel have a special interest in all the aspects of dental hygiene and care.
