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Prevent Periodontal Problems: How to Brush Your Pet’s Teeth

Note: If your pet already has visible calculus (the gold-brown stuff) build-up on the teeth, then see your veterinarian for a proper dental assessment, treatment, and prophylaxis right away. Brushing gingivitis, and painful teeth will only cause your pet to “rightfully” reject your idea of tooth brushing!

• Choose the same time and place each day to make a habit of it.
• Brush your teeth, brush pet’s teeth.
• Probably best in evening, in bathroom.
• Small pets can have a mat or pet bed placed on the counter, sit in the bed, get teeth done.
• Use a soft baby toothbrush, or soft pet brush (feel the bristles, make sure is soft.)
• Run the brush under warm-hottish water for a few minutes to super soften the bristles.
• Or use gauze 4×4′s (buy at medical supply store, not chain pharmacy, for best deals.)
• Use “finger brush” if you like it, some find them unfriendly and hard to feel what you are doing.
• Use warm water, or best, dog toothpaste (from pet stores or your vet.)They don’t have to spit; it is nonpoisonous (unlike our toothpaste)
• Note: DO NOT go “all natural” and buy baby toothpaste. Most of it contains the sweetener xylitol which is poisonous to dogs (causes liver failure.) Just because something is safe for babies does not mean it is safe for dogs and cats.
• Have treats or reward like a walk or snuggle ready for 30 seconds after you are done (pets do not connect rewards more than about 30 seconds from the good activity.)
• Talk calmly to your pet and tell them what you are doing as you do it.
• Use a word or short phrase like , “Tooth time!” One client I have uses, “Open your mouth!” every time you brush the teeth. (Some pets will learn to relax and settle into the routine with the words, just as some pets learn to pee on cue when someone consistently says “hurry up!”)
• Feel along the teeth, and run the brush in circles as you would in your mouth.
• Chewing on the brush and squirming is allowed. Head turning is acknowledged, but firmly ask to try again. Only do about 25% of the mouth the first few times, reward briskly and right away. Do not push past panic, calmly take it back a notch, if you have to. Even take it back to “sit” on the spot you assign for tooth brushing and reward that when your pet manages to pull it off.
• Do not let your pet stop the session. If you cannot continue, ask for one last good sit (even for a second), reward it, and then the session is over.
• Build up to calm, longer brushing with treats and pats on the chest under the chin.
• When you are successful, the whole thing should take less than 5 minutes a night!

If you have neglected to teach your pet how to learn, hire a dog trainer to help, schedule a nurse visit at your veterinarian’s if they offer tooth brushing training, or find a video podcast on the subject! It is that important to keep your pet’s teeth healthy!  These same tips work after a deep cleaning and surgery. Preventing further problems will help your pet stay pain-free and live a longer, happier life!

X-RAYS AN IMPORTANT  PART OF PET’S ORAL HEALTH

By Dr. John DeJong, Ask The Vet

Dear Dr. John,

 My cat had been feeling pretty badly for a few days and had been vomiting so I took her in to myvet. He did some blood work and gave her Pepcid and she is fine.  I am writing about the comment he made about her teeth and gums. He showed me the tartar and how the gums were receding, then commented that she should have her teeth cleaned again like we did two years ago.  However, he also mentioned taking dental X-rays before we do the cleaning and extract any teeth. This is a new vet for our pets and I never heard of doing this for my pets, let alone paying the extra cost.  Does this sound reasonable to you and why does my cat need to have her teeth cleaned again so soon? Strangely enough, my neighbor has his dog’s teeth cleaned almost every year but my cousin has a dog that has never needed it done. Why? — E.P.

Dear E.P.,

 One usually hears about dog breath, but cat breath can also be an issue. Simply put, bad breath can be a sign of bad oral health affecting the teeth or the gums, but an animal can also have dental/gum disease without necessarily having bad breath.  Frequent brushing helps reduce the incidence of decay and problems, but it is not a panacea. Veterinary medicine continues to become far more sophisticated and the ability to do dental X-rays is rapidly becoming the right thing to do because it allows a veterinarian to assess the roots of the teeth as well as the tooth itself looking for decay, resorption and other abnormalities.  Many veterinarians still assess a tooth visually and with probes to determine a need for extraction, but X-rays may spare a tooth or point out one that needs to be removed.

 As far as the frequency for dental cleanings, every animal is different and dental health is in large part genetically based. Some pets are prone to rapid dental decay and production of staining and tartar, while others never seem to get it.  Smaller dogs are more prone than larger breeds as a rule of thumb.  Cats can be prone to resorptive lesions exposing the nerve and subsequent discomfort, which progresses to a rotting tooth that needs to be removed or falls out. It sounds as if the vomiting is under control so I would trust your veterinarian and pursue the dental care.

 February is National Pet Dental Health Month. Our hospital is offering a special promotion and your cat’s doctor might too!  John de Jong, D.V.M., is the owner/operator of the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic and CEO/director at Boston Animal Hospital.

We at Eads Animal Hospital appreciate all you do for the homeless, neglected, and abused pets in our community and we would like to assist you in your efforts.  We have created Paws for the Cause, a program designed just for that purpose.  Through this program, we are offering free laparoscopic spays to area rescues.  We are committed to two spays per month, and will offer additional services as donations allow.

 Laparoscopy is the newest procedure implemented by Eads Animal Hospital in our endeavor to minimize pain in the medical treatment of animals.  It is a minimally invasive technique used for viewing and operating on the internal structures of the abdomen.  A scope (camera) inserted through a small incision in the abdomen magnifies internal structures on a TV monitor for a more thorough examination.  An additional small incision is made to facilitate the use of surgical instruments.  It offers patients up to 65% less pain, minimal recovery time and far less trauma than traditional spays.  If desired, gastropexy (to prevent bloat) can be performed at the time of spay.

 To apply for our program, please complete one of the application forms below and fax the completed form to (901)867-7388.  You will be notified once we have received your application.  We look forward to partnering with you to help the animals in our community.

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10-YEAR-OLD GERMAN SHEPHERD NEEDS 9 TEETH REMOVED

WHERE DID THIS YORKIE’S TOOTH GO?

10-YEAR OLD GERMAN SHEPHERD NEEDS 9 TEETH REMOVED

By National WordPress

Abigail’s mouth smelled like a toilet from across the examination room.  The 10-year-old German Shepherd Dog looked normal.  She acted normal.  She even walked normally.  But, if she licked your hand in greeting, you could not get that smell off your hand for 48 hours, no matter how many times you washed! This Shepherd’s sewer mouth made professional nurses faint!

Abigail suffered horrible, horrible dental disease.  This dog had one of the top ten worst mouths we had ever seen.  Luckily, Abigail’s mom suspected there was a problem and came ready for dental surgery.  “I know her mouth is bad…” said mom.  (That’s worlds better than the usual shocked response we get from pet parents, “How can it be that bad, he’s eating just fine.”)

Our hospital hosts clinical technician students from the local veterinary technician college.  ”Wow!  My teacher would love to have those teeth so we can use them in class!” said theThursday student.  “For what?” asked Doc.  “Our teacher mounts the teeth in a fake plastic dog jaw and we clean the teeth in the dental lab for practice,” said the student.  “Okay, I’ll ask Abigail’s mom if she wants to donate the teeth for teaching purposes after we get the mouth cleaned up,” promised Doc. Veterinarians see many strange and disgusting things.  Abigail’s mouth is one of those foul things we vow to fix.

That brown stuff where teeth should be?That’s thick, slimy, smelly tartar! The tartar is so thick and crusted and caked onto the tooth surfaces that it looks like one big continuous shiny brown glop of muddy cement dentures.  Underneath this filth and decay are delicate mucous membranes and tooth roots.  A horizontal ridge across the “middle” of the tooth structure demarcates the crown from the roots. Just as much root is showing as crown.

When the upper lip is lifted, you can see the tartar covering the upper carnassial tooth – the largest tooth in the dog mouth.  The ridge across the tooth midway through the brown tartar is actually where the gingival margin should be.  The gingiva, or gumline, has receded so much, the tartar covers the roots of the tooth, not just the crown enamel! The x-ray of this molar revealed massive loss of the bone structure under the tooth and tooth root abscess in Grade 4 Periodontal Disease.

The second of the 2 roots on the 2-root molar is sitting in a pocket of pus. This is an area with no bone holding the tooth in place. Over 50% bone attachment loss is Grade 4 out of 4 Periodontal disease.This tooth had 100% attachment loss.  Only the second molar root was holding the tooth in place.  There is absolutely no saving a Stage 4Tooth like this one; it must be removed from the body.

After some tartar cracking, a little enamel starts to show!  After some more cleaning, the roots are visble.The gums also bleed easily.  Extraction of the Upper Fourth Premolar Using Extraction Forceps in an Already LooseTooth is necessary.  Post-extraction sulcus.  Abigail needed nine Stage 4 Periodontal DiseasedTeeth extracted.  Doc removed the diseased, loose, infected teeth.

The tooth sockets were lavaged (cleaned with a clean water spray), and packed with Consil bone packing powder, pH balanced to be so alkaline no bacteria will grow in it, the Consil forms a matrix to speed new bone formation in the jaw.  “Research shows that sulci treated with the Consil powder regrow bone and the bone is just as thick as the normal bone at one-year radiographic follow-up examinations.  What this means is, your dog’s jawbone will be stronger with the powder than without the powder,” says Doc.

Abigail woke up uneventfully from her anesthesia.  She asked for, and ate, a bowl of food 40 minutes after surgery!  She continues to do well at home and her arthritis seems less painful now that DocTruli removed the chronic dental irritation and inflammation.

Where DidThis Yorkie’sTooth Go?

Another Good Example of Why You Need Full Mouth X-Rays Every Patient, EveryTime

GiGi was a five-year-old female spayed black and tan YorkshireTerrier. Her parents could see the tartar build-up on her teeth, so they scheduled an anesthetic dental exam the same day as her annual check up. Good thing they did!

It does not matter how many times I advise people to brush their dogs’ teeth. Most people can’t be bothered. People love the idea of their dog much more than the reality of another living being. A little accommodation and learning on your part will keep your dog’s teeth healthier and can add Years – YEARS – to your dog’s too short lifespan. Years!

GiGi’s x-rays showed a retained incisor root overlapping an incisor that was loose and sitting in an infected tooth socket. Probably, the crown, or top enamel part, of the broken tooth snapped off, the gums healed over, and then the festering root caused the early demise of the neighboring tooth. Imagine your tooth snapping off and you never tell anyone or complain. Doesn’t seem possible, does it? Dogs suffer silently exactly like this all the time.

The offending root and the loose incisor were removed and GiGi made 100% recovery by the following day! Absorbable Stitches Didn’t StopThis Little Girl from Playing Ball When She Went Home!  What a cutie!

If you’ve found a good veterinarian, do not be afraid of anesthesia and tooth surgery! Your dog will live years longer and be happier and healthier if you take decisive and fast action!  Dogs have six lower incisor teeth.These are the little lower teeth in the front in between the big canine or eye teeth on the four corners of the front of the mouth. If your dog is missing one for no reason, get it checked out!