Dr. Joel Conn’s segment “Pet Tips” aired today on 95.3 The Beach! The topic was “Dental Disease.” Tune in every Friday morning at 7:25am to hear more Pet Tips!
Click Here to Listen: Dental Disease
“This week on Pet Tips we’re going to talk about Dental Disease
Do you nearly faint when you pet licks your face? If so, your pet is probably way overdue for a dental cleaning.
Approximately 85% of animals over the age of three suffer from some degree of dental disease and if left untreated it can affect their heart, lungs, kidneys, and also cause significant pain.
Some simple things that you can look for at home include:
- Bad breath
- Loose teeth
- Significant dental tartar, redness of the gums, or discharge or bleeding from the gums
- Pain or difficulty eating, eating from one side of the mouth
- Drooling excessively
- A tendency for your pet to shy away when you try to look at his/her mouth
There are a number of things that you can do as an owner to help ensure that that special member of the family has a great smile for life:
Brush, brush, brush. Brushing your pet’s teeth is the best way to help promote dental health. Be sure to use a flavored pet-approved toothpaste as human toothpaste can be toxic. Thirty seconds a day will help keep your veterinarian away!
Dental diets, chews, and toys. There are a number of products available that help with tartar buildup by removing plaque when your pet chews.
Even with excellent home care, however, your pet will still need to have dental cleanings throughout his or her.
We perform dental cleanings under anesthesia because this allows us to clean above and below the gum line (where most of the dental disease is located) and assess the need for extractions. This allows the animal to sleep through the whole process, meaning less trauma physically and mentally for the patient and with modern medicine, this is an extremely low risk procedure for most pets.
Dental disease is a commonly overlooked but very important aspect of your pet’s health. Though many owner’s think of dentistry as a cosmetic issue, it is actually extremely important to help ensure that your pet is pain free and to prevent adverse affects on the heart, lungs, and kidneys.
This is Dr. Joel Conn from Pismo Beach Veterinary Clinic. I’ll be back next week with more pet tips. For more information, visit us online at pismobeachvet.com or come see us at 990 Price Street, Pismo Beach. We are open 7 days a week.”