Periodontal disease – a form of dental disease – is the most commonly diagnosed disease in dogs and cats, and it’s preventable. It can be difficult for pet owners to notice signs of dental disease until it’s very severe, which is why it’s important to take your dog to the vet for an oral exam every year.
What to expect with an annual oral exam
When you take your dog in for an oral exam, your veterinarian will look inside your pet’s mouth and look for signs of dental disease and talk with you about oral health. If you schedule a consultation with the Small Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery service at CSU, our clinicians will do a full evaluation of your pet’s records to understand their history, perform a complete physical exam, as well as what’s called a conscious oral exam, which is taking a peek inside your dog’s mouth. Depending on what they find, they may recommend scheduling an anesthetized procedure to do a complete dental cleaning and treat any issues discovered during the initial or anesthetized exam.
The main issue your veterinarian will look for is plaque and calculus (which is what humans call tartar) near the gum line. If there is evidence of either, an anesthetized exam will likely be recommended. Other, more severe signs of dental disease can include red gums, gingival recession, gums pulling away from the teeth, or mobile teeth. If left untreated, dental disease can lead to tooth loss, abscesses, broken jaws due to bone loss, and chronic inflammation and infection throughout the entire body.
If your dog needs an anesthetized dental procedure
If your vet recommends an anesthetized procedure, it will be scheduled for a different day. You’ll drop your dog off the morning of the procedure (your dog may be prescribed antianxiety meds prior to the appointment), and the dentistry service will work closely with the Small Animal Anesthesia and Pain Management service to anesthetize your pet for their exam.
During the procedure, the dentistry team will perform a complete oral exam, probing to check for pockets and tooth abnormalities, take X-rays and other diagnostics, thoroughly clean your dog’s teeth, and make recommendations for any necessary treatments. If your vet finds anything that needs to be treated during the procedure, they will call you right then and there to let you know what they recommend. Most of the time, your dog will be sent home later the same day (some pups stay overnight, depending on the complexity of the procedure).
Some breeds – especially little dogs – are more at risk for dental disease. Their mouths are smaller but have the same number of teeth as larger dogs, so they are more susceptible to crowding and plaque build-up. If you own a small dog, our veterinarians recommend scheduling an anesthetized oral exam every year.
Preventing dental disease with home care
The best thing you can do to prevent periodontal disease in your dog is to brush their teeth every day. The earlier in your pet’s life you start, the better.
While brushing is the best way to remove plaque from your dog’s teeth, there are some alternatives, and every oral hygiene practice should be performed daily.
- Dental treats: As your dog chews on a dental treat, it removes plaque from their teeth before it can mineralize and become tartar. There are different kinds of dental treats, but your dog has to chew it; if they swallow it whole it won’t work.
- Dental diets: Similar to treats, your dog chewing the specially formulated, larger-sized dental kibble helps remove plaque from their teeth.
You can purchase some dental care products recommended by the Veterinary Oral Health Council from the pharmacy at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Try keeping your dog’s dental care essentials in the bathroom to help maintain a daily routine.