Did you know that having a healthy mouth does not only affect your pet’s teeth and gums but also their heart, liver and kidneys too?
Here at Priory Veterinary Practice we have modern dentistry equipment and use an ultrasonic dental machine for plaque and calculus (hardened plaque) removal. This prevents gingivitis and periodontitis.
Using an ultrasonic scaler has many advantages.The treatment time is less, as we can reach below the gum line where tartar and plaque often hide, it provides better access to the deep pockets of the gum and there is less damage to the cementum of the teeth.
This type of scaling provides greater comfort to your pet as there is less trauma to the gum tissue because it doesn’t require sharp cutting edges. The machine uses water to keep the gum tissue moist.
Unfortunately pets will not lie back in a chair and open their mouths for us to check their teeth therefore a general anaesthetic is needed for scaling and dental extractions. Quite often we can only truly see what is going on inside your pets mouth and if there is any damage or infection once they are a sleep. If this is the case and more work is needed we will inform you of this.
We use exactly the same anaesthetic monitoring procedures as for surgical procedures. (please see our surgical facilities page regarding anaesthesia)
All pets are given a pain relieving injection before they wake up as their comfort to us is paramount.
After Care
If you do not already practice a good teeth cleaning regime with your pet then this is the perfect time to start. Using a pet ‘enzymatic’ toothpaste will offer a greater cleansing action and as this can be swallowed no rinsing is needed.
Enzymatic toothpastes come in lots of different flavours, though most pets prefer meaty ones.
DO NOT USE HUMAN TOOTH PASTE
After your pet has had a dental, our team will advise you on the best way to introduce your pet to teeth cleaning.
