Good oral hygiene is a cornerstone of good health. Dogs and cats with a healthy mouth have a much better quality of life, as they are pain free and have fewer health problems. Pets with “pearly whites” are less prone to many diseases: heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease and joint disease (arthritis) just to name a few.

Gum disease and loose teeth are painful.  Ask anyone who has had either problem. Many of our clients comment that their pet is still eating despite having a mouth that is obviously painful. Our furry companions are still acting on instincts that have allowed them to survive for thousands of years before domestication. They must eat to survive- so eat they will. You cannot rely on your pet’s motivation to eat to decide whether his/her mouth hurts.   IF IT WOULD HURT YOU, IT HURTS THEM.

Regular professional cleaning is important to maintaining your pet’s teeth and gums in tip-top shape. We use an ultrasonic scaler and hand-scaling instruments to clean each and every tooth thoroughly above and below the gum line. The teeth are then polished to create a smooth, lustrous tooth surface resistant to plaque build-up. Questionable teeth or areas where teeth are missing teeth are radiographed and addressed as needed. A board certified Veterinary Dental Specialist is available to provide advanced dental care including root canals, caps and braces.

You may wonder why an anesthetic is needed to clean your pet’s teeth properly.  In order to clean the teeth properly, a pet’s mouth must be opened quite wide for a significant period of time.   Cleaning the inside of the teeth under the tongue requires a lot of dexterity and patience on our part.   No conscious dog or cat would tolerate such an invasion into their space.  Cleaning below the gum line is somewhat uncomfortable (as we all know) and, again, would not be tolerated.

At our practice, we have two people dedicated to each dental procedure.  These people are either a licensed veterinarian or a registered animal health technologist, who have gone through extensive, formal training in anesthesia and dental procedures.   We do not use untrained staff for this on any other procedure.   This dramatically increases the safety of the anesthetic, as one trained person is entirely and constantly focused on the pet’s vital signs from the time they are asleep to the time they are fully awake while the other works as quickly as possible to complete the procedure.

Occasionally, we hear of groomers or other untrained persons advertizing that they clean teeth.  Not only is this illegal (all dental work must be performed under the supervision of a veterinarian), but they are, at best. doing NOTHING to improve the pet’s health and, at worst, contributing to disease and pain in that pet.  The British Columbia Veterinary Medical Association is an organization created largely to protect YOU, the consumer.  If you know anyone who cleans pet’s teeth without the supervision of a veterinarian, please report them to the BCVMA before they harm any more pets!

If you have any concerns about your pet’s teeth, please call us.  We would be more than happy to discuss with you what you need to do in order to have your pet be healthy and happy for as long as possible.

A HEALTHY MOUTH IS VITAL TO YOUR PET’S HEALTH.