DENTAL DISEASE IN
DOGS
What
kinds of dental
problems do dogs
have?
Dental disease is as
common in dogs as it is in
humans. The
most common
form of dental disease in humans is
cavities.
However, this is not the
case in
dogs. The most common form of
canine dental disease is
tartar buildup. This
causes
irritation of the
gums
around the base of the
teeth (
gingivitis), resulting in exposure of the
roots. Ultimately, this
leads to
infection and tooth
loss.
Isn't it
correct that dogs that
eat dry dog food don't have tartar buildup?
There are many
misconceptions about tartar buildup in dogs.
Diet is
probably less
important than most
people think[.
Because dry food is not as
sticky as
canned
food, it does not
adhere to the teeth as much and thus, does not cause
tartar buildup as
rapidly. However, eating dry food does not
remove tartar
from the teeth. Once tartar forms, a
professional cleaning is
necessary.
One of the main factors
determining the
amount of tartar buildup is the individual
chemistry in the
mouth. Some dogs
need
yearly cleanings; other dogs need a cleaning only once every
few years.
What does tartar do to the teeth?
If tartar is allowed to
remain on the teeth,
several things may
happen.
The tartar will
mechanically
push the gums
away from the
roots of the teeth. This allows the teeth to
loosen in
their
sockets and
infection to
enter the root
socket. The teeth will loosen and
fall out or
have to be extracted.
Infection will accumulate in the mouth, resulting in gingivitis,
tonsillitis, and
pharyngitis (
sore throat).
Although
antibiotics may
temporarily suppress the infection, if the tartar is not removed from the teeth, infection will
return
quickly.
Infection within the mouth will be picked up by the
blood stream and
carried to other parts of the
body. Some kidney
and
heart disease may be caused by this infection.
What is
involved in cleaning my dog's teeth?
Proper cleaning of the teeth requires complete
cooperation of the
patient so plaque and tartar can be removed
properly.
Anesthesia is
required to
thoroughly clean the teeth. Although anesthesia always carries a
degree of
risk, the
modern
anesthetics in use in our
hospital minimize this risk, even for
older dogs. Depending on your dog's
age and
general
health status, blood may be
analyzed
prior to anesthesia to
evaluate blood cell counts and
major organ function.
There are
four steps in the cleaning
process that will be used on your dog:
Scaling removes the tartar
above and below the gum line. This is done with
hand instruments and
ultrasonic cleaning
equipment.
Polishing
smoothes the
surface of the teeth, making them
resistant to
additional plaque formation.
Flushing removes
dislodged tartar from the teeth and
helps to remove the
bacteria that
accompany tartar.
What type of
scheduling is needed for teeth cleaning?
In
order for us to clean your dog's teeth, we ask that you
schedule the procedure a few days in advance. It will be
necessary to
withhold food after
midnight the night
before; please do not remove the
water. Your dog should be
admitted
to the hospital
early (by
9:00 AM) and will
generally be ready for
discharge in the late afternoon. The dog will need
to stay
indoors that
evening to
insure that no
accidents (
falls, etc.)
occur until
complete recovery from anesthesia.
If that is not
possible, you may
elect to have the dog
spend the night in the hospital. The recovering dog should be
offered small amounts of water and food that evening. By the
next morning your dog will be
completely recovered and you
can feed and water
normally.
- my father, Dr. Hackthemainframe sr.