The Role of Dental Care in Your Pet’s Health

Pet dental care does a lot more than help your furry friend enjoy sparkling whites. The majority of dogs and cats over about three years of age live with dental disease. Left untreated, gum disease in dogs and cats can lead to complications elsewhere in your pet’s body. It can contribute to changes in your pet’s kidneys, heart, and liver. 

The best way to avoid these issues is to make sure your pet gets the dental care she needs. But even if you haven’t been able to provide preventive dental care for your pet until now, our caring team at Ark Animal Hospital is here to help. We provide pet dental care for dogs and cats of all ages and stages of gum disease. 

So, what does pet dental care look like? Let’s dive in. 

Pet Dental Care Basics

Brushing a dog or cat’s teeth is no joke. Like humans, our furry friends would benefit the most from twice-daily brushings—a unicorn if there ever was one. 

But see if you can manage to brush your pet’s teeth and gums with pet-friendly toothpaste every other day. If so, you’ll be on the way to a good feline or canine dental hygiene routine. Especially if you supplement toothbrushing with dental treats and water additives.

The goal here is to routinely remove plaque from your dog or cat’s teeth before it can harden into tartar. Here’s the bad news: plaque and tartar can sneak in below your pet’s gumline. Without early detection and treatment, this leads to feline and canine tooth decay, abscesses, and infections. 

That’s why yearly dental appointments are crucial to your pet’s health. 

Professional Teeth Cleaning for Dogs and Cats

The only way to treat gum disease in cats and dogs is to make sure your pet gets a professional cleaning from a veterinarian once or twice a year. During a yearly or twice-yearly dental exam, your veterinarian will: 

• Examine your pet’s mouth
• Perform X-rays to see below his gum line
• Scale (removing plaque and tartar) and polish all of your pet’s teeth

If your vet sees any additional problems, your pet may need oral surgery to repair or extract teeth or remove tumors. Veterinary dental care is performed under anesthesia so that your pet won’t experience fear or pain during the procedure. 

At Ark Animal Hospital, we provide professional teeth cleaning for cats and dogs alike. We can give your pocket pets the tooth filing and dental care they need to stay healthy, too! Reach out to our team if you notice redness in your pet’s gums, discolored teeth, or foul cat or dog breath. We look forward to helping you establish a pet dental care routine to keep your pet healthy.