Pet Dental Care
Did you know that you can add two to four years to your pet's life with proper dental care?
Dental hygiene is an important part of your pet's health and can often be the cause of serious illness. If left untreated, dental problems can lead to larger systemic issues in your pet due to oral bacteria entering the blood stream and damaging the kidneys, heart and liver.
However, dental disease is often overlooked by many pet owners. Unfortunately, it is estimated that more than 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats develop tooth and gum disease by the age of three years.
Dental disease and its serious consequences can be avoided by bringing your pet to your veterinarian for regular dental check-ups and teeth cleanings. This is why Wilmington Animal Hospital offers full dental cleanings as well as a range of dental procedures.
Your Pet's Dental Cleaning
Veterinary dental cleanings are very different for pets than they are for you. Because anesthesia is often employed to keep your pet still and comfortable during a cleaning, your pet undergoes a complete physical examination prior to the cleaning, in order to detect any complications that may occur from the use of anesthesia.
During a cleaning, the doctor at Wilmington Animal Hospital uses a hand scaler to remove tartar and plaque from your pet's teeth. Next, a periodontal probe is used to check under the gumline for signs of periodontal disease. An ultrasonic scaler is used to clean the teeth above the gumline, and a curette is used to clean and smooth the teeth below the gumline. Finally, your pet's teeth are polished and OraVet® is applied to prevent future tartar build-up.
Home Dental Care
Dental care does not end with a visit to your veterinarian. You need to continue your veterinarian's good work at home by brushing your pet's teeth as part of a home dental care regimen. Any member of our staff can show you the proper method of brushing your pet's teeth as well as help you select the most effective dental products for your pet.
It is also important for you to recognize the signs and symptoms of dental problems, which include:
- Bad breath
- A yellowish-brown crust of plaque on the teeth near the gum line
- Red and swollen gums
- Pain or bleeding when your pet eats or when the mouth or gums are touched
- Decreased appetite or difficulty eating
- Loose or missing teeth
Non-Anesthetized Dental Care
Wilmington Animal Hospital is proud to be joining the ranks of hospitals offering non-anesthetic dental services! With Pet Dental Services, we will be able to provide a new option of dental care for your pet. Pet Dental Services has been providing Non-Anesthetic Dental Services for hundreds of hospitals in multiple states for almost 10 years; they are the #1 Non-Anesthetic Dental provider in the country, offering veterinarians and pet owners experience and expertise that is second to none.
Like any medical procedure, non-anesthetic prophylaxes carry risks as well as benefits. Understanding that when performed correctly and by highly trained professionals, the benefits of non-anesthetic dentistry outweigh the risks is the key to acknowledging the value of this procedure. Pet Dental Services' hygienists take every precaution possible to minimize the possible risks associated with this procedure. All prophylaxes take place under the care of one of our licensed veterinarians here at Wilmington Animal Hospital; all of Pet Dental Services' hygienists are hired with a minimum of 2 years' experience as veterinary technicians, and have undergone rigorous training and supervision to ensure their experience and expertise.
While non-anesthetic dental care is not a complete replacement for traditional, anesthetized dental procedures, it functions as an excellent supplement to your pet's dental treatment and can serve as an apt substitute in certain scenarios, such as for pets who may be too young to need a full anesthetic dental procedure. This service will allow patients to be on the 3-4 month recall for maintenance that is appropriate for them. An anesthesia-free prophylaxis can also be used in pets whose medical history prevents them from having general anesthesia—pets who might otherwise not have any professional dental care.
Below is a detailed explanation of our eleven-step procedure, designed to ensure the best, quality dental care for your pet:
Step 1: Medical & Behavioral History Check
PDS requires every patient to have a Medical and Behavioral History Form completed prior to each appointment to gain a complete understanding of the patient. PDS will also review your pet's Wilmington Animal Hospital chart and gain valuable information from doctors and staff. All of this is done in addition to the oral and health examination that has already been completed by the veterinarian who recommended the professional outpatient preventive dentistry (POPD) procedure to be performed by the PDS staff member.
Step 2: Pre-Exam; physical and oral
PDS will walk your pet prior to the procedure, checking his or her gait. A check of joint discomfort or pain is completed as well to determine your pet's candidacy for the procedure. Next, a complete extra-oral and intra-oral exam is completed. PDS checks for symmetry, swelling and pain. They then evaluate each tooth and surrounding gingival for pathology. At this stage, they evaluate calculus levels, compromised teeth, gingival condition and periodontal pockets.
This step determines the candidacy of your pet for a POPD procedure.
Step 3: Treatment Plan
After the completion of steps 1 and 2, a treatment plan is generated through a PDS staff member, doctor, and client partnership. These treatment plans can range from simply completing the POPD procedure to recommending that the professional oral hygiene procedure be performed under general anesthesia. The treatment plans will include home care instructions and a re-call date for an anesthetic dental treatment or a maintenance POPD procedure, if necessary. This step is crucial in ensuring your pet receives the proper care he or she needs.
Step 4: Supra-gingival Scaling
A POPD begins with the removal of supra-gingival deposits of plaque and calculus from the buccal, lingual, and interproximal surfaces. A combination of forceps, hand instruments and power scaling are used for plaque and calculus removal.
Step 5: Sub-gingival Scaling
Plaque and calculus deposits are thoroughly removed from the sub-gingival areas. In stages 3 and 4 periodontal disease, this would be very difficult, which is why the pre-exam (Step 2), is so important in determining whether or not your pet is a candidate for this procedure.
Step 6: Post Dental Probing
After the dental procedure is completed, a 6-point probing of each tooth is performed. A thorough probing is vital in recognizing and communicating areas of concern to the doctors and clients. All abnormal pocket depths are noted for the final chart.
Step 7: Machine Polish
PDS hygienists will then perform a machine polish at the end of every prophylaxis using a pumice or polishing paste. Polishing will assist in the smoothing out of minor defects of the enamel which may have occurred during the procedure, thus aiding in the prevention of future plaque accumulation. It will also help with the removal of certain enamel stains.
Step 8: Oral Rinse
Any diseased tissue, plaque or paste remnants are removed through an irrigation of the oral cavity. The oral cavity and gingival pockets, or sulcus, are flushed with a chlorhexidine based solution.
Step 9: Post-Check and Charting
A complete evaluation of each tooth is performed, checking for any retained calculus with a periodontal probe and/or explorer. The dental chart is completed, and any special circumstances are noted. A completed chart will include proper patient information, abnormal probing depths, periodontal problems, tooth abnormalities, home care recommendations, re-call dates, and any additional notes.
Step 10: Doctor and Staff Communication
The doctor will examine the oral cavity with a corresponding evaluation of the dental chart to ensure complete pathological notation. Next, a post-treatment oral health care plan is prepared for you and your pet.
Step 11: Client Education
Dental awareness and education is of the utmost importance for the overall well-being of your pet. After each POPD procedure, the hygienist will review the pet's dental experience and chart with you, and explain the many options regarding home care.
Frequently Asked Questions
We get a lot of questions about our non-anesthetic dental services, so we've compiled a list of the most common ones for your benefit. If you have a question that is not addressed below, please feel free to contact us for more information.
Q: How can you effectively perform cleaning on a dog or cat while it is squirming around and under stress?
A: We sit at eye-level with the pet and use a variety of proprietary holds to maintain control while keeping our patient calm and comfortable. Pets are never forced or bullied into submission. Most vets are totally amazed at how compliant dogs and cats become during the procedure. Pet Dental Services is highly trained not only in the recognition of pathological abnormalities, but are also highly skilled in proper dog and cat handling techniques ensuring a safe and calm experience.
Q: Are you able to do a thorough cleaning both above and below the gum line?
A: Absolutely! PDS' technicians are highly skilled hygienists. They know the importance of removing all of the plaque and calculus from the outside and inside surfaces of the teeth, both above and below the gum line. We understand our scope of practice and work alongside anesthetic dentistry to provide the best possible care.
Q: Don't most pets become frightened and panic when you attempt to use a scaler or a motorized polisher?
A: We treat our patients much like a dentist treats a young child during a first-time dental visit. We use patience in our approach, and slowly introduce each phase of the procedure. As we build trust, almost every dog and cat we treat will allow us to use all of the exact same tools used in traditional veterinary dentistry.
Q: Have you found this technique to be effective with high-risk patients?
A: Yes! Non-anesthetic dental cleanings are usually a much better alternative for older pets, and for pets with chronic kidney, liver or heart disease who might not be a candidate for general anesthesia. We find our service particularly beneficial for candidates who are at a grade 1 to 2 tartar level, for those pets who are at high risks for anesthesia, and for those pets whose owners refuse the anesthesia all together.
Q: Can a properly trained non-anesthetic dental (NAD) technician perform a cleaning on virtually any dog?
A: No. While the vast majority of dogs and cats will benefit greatly from a non-anesthetic dental, there are some for whom it is not appropriate. Examples of pets who are poor candidates for non-anesthetic dental include pets with: severe gingivitis, caries, fractured teeth or stomatitis. Our non-anesthetic dental (NAD) hygienists are aware of the limitations of our drug-free technique. Whenever they discover a loose or fractured tooth, gum disease, tumors, epuli, abscess or any other condition that necessitates a doctor's intervention, they are quick to bring it to the attending veterinarian's attention. In cases where it is discovered that a NAD is not appropriate, pet owners are much more receptive to traditional dental methods because they know they have tried the drug-free approach first.
Q: What does the technician do if a patient is completely uncooperative, overly fearful, or demonstrates highly aggressive behavior?
A: A well-trained and experienced non-anesthetic dental (NAD) hygienist can usually tell within a few minutes whether a pet's temperament will allow for a successful procedure. In some cases, they are able to calm fearful pets enough to allow for a full cleaning. In some cases, a light sedative is all that is needed. Other times, though, they will determine that the pet's temperament simply is not conducive to anesthesia-free treatment and they will recommend an alternative treatment approach.