Pet and Animal Dental Clinic Services

Dental care in pets plays a vital role in their overall health and well-being. On top of causing pain and discomfort, oral disease may also produce infections that can reach the bloodstream and pose a threat to your pet’s liver, heart and other major organs. Fortunately, significant advances in pet dental care allow for efficient and effective prevention, diagnosis and treatment of common dental diseases.

At Heritage Animal Hospital, we provide comprehensive pet dentistry services:

• Routine scaling, cleaning and polishing
• Dental examinations and evaluations
• Dental radiographs (x-rays)
• Tooth extractions for dogs, cats and pocket pets
• Oral hygiene education
• And more

We perform dental cleaning in our clinic while your pet is under general anesthesia to protect his/her health, safety and comfort. In addition, we examine your pet’s teeth at every visit, grade the level of dental disease, discuss any problems and recommend when a dental procedure is appropriate.

Why Is Pet Dental Care So Important?

 Dental disease affects nearly 85% of pets over the age of two. As mentioned, oral infections can easily spread to and affect major organs. Additionally, the pain can cause your pet the stop eating, which can lead to new health issues and/or worsen existing ones.

Plaque naturally forms on our pets’ teeth every time they eat. While plaque can be removed with brushing, it will harden and develop into tartar in 2-3 days if unaddressed. Tartar requires more than brushing alone for removal and will irritate and inflame the gum tissue as it builds up. This causes gum recession, which then leads to bone loss and the potential for tooth loss or abscesses (infection). Gum recession and bone loss are irreversible once they occur.

Warning signs of dental problems in pets include:

• Strange/bad breath
• Decreased appetite or refusing to eat
• Teeth that are loose, broken, discolored or covered in tartar
• Bleeding or pain in/from or around the mouth
• Swelling around the mouth
• Extra/retained baby teeth
• Irregular eating behavior, i.e., abnormal chewing, drooling, dropping food, etc.

If you notice any of these issues or have other concerns for your pet’s oral health, contact us today to schedule an appointment. After diagnosing and treating the issue, your veterinarian will create a preventative care plan for teeth cleaning every 1 to 5 years based on the size and breed of your pet. Maintenance care recommendations will also be made which can include regular tooth brushing, dental rinses and dental diets.