Wilmington Animal Hospital

Dentistry at Wilmington Animal Hospital
 

 
At Wilmington animal Hospital, we place strong emphasis on oral health for pets. Having a clean mouth is not just a cosmetic benefit. Pets with clean mouths live longer, healthier lives. In fact, researchers are finding more and more evidence linking periodontal disease to heart, lung, and kidney disease in pets. 
 
Wilmington Animal Hospital offers a dental program to fit every patient’s needs. We realize that some pets enjoy having their teeth brushed, while others are happier doing it “on their own.” Some pets have minimal plaque their entire lives, while others have severe tartar within a year of getting their permanent teeth. In short, every pet benefits from an individualized dental program.
 
For those patients requiring professional cleaning, we provide the highest level of routine dental care available. We use:
 
  •          The safest anesthetics in veterinary medicine. Older pets can be anesthetized safely. All pets wake up within minutes and go home wide awake that night.
  •          All precautions recommended by the American Veterinary Dental College and AAHA including pre-anesthetic physical exams and blood testing, prophylactic antibiotics in cardiac patients, and constant monitoring of the anesthetized patient.
  •          A thorough approach to the dental cleaning process. A combination of hand-scaling to clean and smooth the roots with ultrasonic scaling to clean the crowns; polishing to smooth the tooth surface in order to slow the tarter build-up; OraVet™ to slow the tartar and plaque build-up; and, in cats, fluoride treatments to decrease tooth sensitivity and prevent cavity-like erosions (cervical line lesions) from developing.
 
We also perform dental extractions, and use the appropriate pain management for your pet’s comfort.
 
When your pet is discharged form the hospital, we:
 
  • Provide you with your pet’s dental chart, showing you a map of your pet’s mouth, where any problems are, and what was done specifically for your pet.
  • Discuss in detail what you and your pet can do to keep a healthy mouth in the future. We work with you to develop an individualized oral health program for your pet.
 Dentistries are performed Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Pets can be dropped off in the morning or the night before, and picked up the same night that the dental is done. Costs vary depending on the procedures, tests, and treatments performed. Please ask for an estimate!