A Pet’s Oral Health
Did you know that your dog’s oral health is very similar to your own? What would happen if you didn’t brush your teeth for a few weeks? Let’s just say nothing good can come out of that. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, three out of four dogs and cats suffer from some type of dental disease by the young age of 3. Dental disease can lead to many problems such as tooth decay, tooth loss, oral infections, bad breath, eating issues and other systemic diseases that can impact the overall health of your pet. Can this be prevented?
A study by Urbieta et al (2013) looking at the effectiveness and safety of non-anesthetic dental treatment found that this type of treatment is a valuable supplemental treatment for your pet’s oral health care. This study included a selection of 12 dogs and 12 cats, which had undergone non-anesthetic dental treatment and after been put under general anesthesia by a board certified veterinary dentist (control). The latter was done to closely examine the cavity of the animal to check for any remaining sub-gingival calculus.
The results showed that there was no residual plague detected. Meaning that during the Non-Anesthetic Dental Treatment a complete prophylaxis and a thorough sabra and sub-gingival scaling was able to be completed without the pet needing to be under anesthesia. All animals had no post-treatment complications.
The study shows that non-anesthetic cleaning on pets are very effective, however it is important to note that not all pets are candidates for this type of procedure. Pets with severe gingivitis, caries, fractured or loose teeth and stomatitis are not good candidates for this type of procedure. Before even starting, your non-anesthetic dental specialist must always do a thorough examination of your pet’s mouth. They will evaluate your pet and refer you to a veterinary whenever they discover issues such as gum disease, abscess epulis, tumors, etc. Pet owners are usually much more open to going to their vet for an anesthetic dental procedure after they have tried this drug-free approach first.