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  • Mon-Fri : 8am-7pm
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Advanced Pet Dental Care

Dental care is more than just a cure for your pet's bad breath. Like people, your pet needs preventative dental care. Dental disease is often described as a silent disease as periodontal disease can progress rapidly without the patient showing any obvious clinical signs. Patients with dental disease can continue to eat normally and may not let you know they are in pain. Here are some things to think about while you're brushing your own teeth:

  • A proper dental routine can add 3-5 years to your pet's life!
  • More than just a cure for bad breath... preventative dental care for your pet can help to avoid a host of dental-related medical conditions.
  • More than 8 out of 10 dogs show signs of poor dental health by the age of three.
  • Dental problems in cats and dogs can lead to pain, tooth loss, and periodontal disease among other issues.
  • Oral disease in cats and dogs progresses causing bacteria from the mouth to enter the bloodstream, resulting in damage to internal organs — including the heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys.

An oral examination is part of a complete physical examination and is performed at every one of your pet’s visits. During an oral exam, our veterinarian will assess the degree of tartar and periodontal disease that your pet may have. We also check to see that your pet has the proper number of teeth and that they are properly positioned. As your pet matures, we will continue to monitor any changes in their oral health, in addition to monitoring the progress of their deciduous and their adult teeth.
Special attention must be paid to the mouths of small and toy breed dogs, as they are more prone to having retained deciduous teeth. These are “baby” teeth that don’t fall out as permanent teeth come in. Sometimes, these teeth might need to be extracted to allow the adult teeth to develop with proper alignment. Our veterinarians often recommend extracting the retained deciduous teeth at the time of your pet’s spay or neuter procedure.

Thorough dental care greatly benefits your pet. That’s why we utilize the latest digital dental x-ray technology. Digital dental x-rays provide a detailed picture of your pet’s mouth, allowing us to diagnose problems that may not be visible during a standard oral exam. X-rays can detect problems below the gum line due to bone loss and periodontal disease.

A professional dental cleaning a crucial part of improving your pet’s total wellness if they are experiencing dental disease. Veterinary dentistry, oral medicine, and oral surgery include the cleaning, extraction, or repair of animals’ teeth and/or gums. These procedures are performed by our veterinarians and dental technicians.

Dental anesthesia is critical for a complete, thorough cleaning for the following reasons:

  • An awake animal is unlikely to allow a veterinarian to poke around his mouth with dental instruments. A complete exam that allows the veterinarian to fully determine the extent of dental disease and oral problems only can be performed on an anesthetized patient.
  • Dental X-rays should be taken prior to every dental cleaning and anesthesia is required to keep pets still. Since 60% of a tooth is below the gumline, problems such as retained roots, root fractures, and periodontal disease only can be detected on radiographs. Without X-rays, many dental problems go undiagnosed and untreated.
  • A complete dental cleaning involves evaluation of pocket depth, tartar scaling above and below the gums, and polishing. Subgingival tartar removal, which is critically necessary to prevent dental disease progression, requires the insertion of dental instruments below the gumline, which can be uncomfortable.
  • Most patients will not hold still for tartar removal, which involves poking, prodding, bright lights, and sharp instruments. Even the limited cleaning that anesthesia-free dentistry permits is traumatic for a pet and may make him afraid to visit the veterinarian in the future.
  • Many pets hide painful dental problems, and a proper dental cleaning can hurt sensitive teeth. Anesthesia allows your pet to rest pain-free throughout the cleaning, even when painful procedures, such as tooth extractions, are necessary.
  • A thorough dental exam and X-rays may reveal problems requiring immediate action that can’t be treated without anesthesia. If your pet already is anesthetized, problems can be addressed immediately so he returns to you with a healthy mouth.

Advanced Veterinary
Dental Technology

Thorough dental care greatly benefits your pet. The veterinary team at University Animal Hospital utilizes the latest digital dental x-ray technology. This technology has many positive effects on your pet’s dental care. Digital dental x-rays provide a detailed picture of your pet’s mouth, allowing us to diagnose problems that may not be visible during a standard oral exam. Digital dental x-rays allow us to detect problems below the gum line due to bone loss and periodontal disease. University Animal Hospital is one of the only veterinary hospitals on Manhattan’s upper east side – and one of the few in all of New York City – to offer advanced digital radiology.

Your pet’s dental cleaning begins with a complete physical examination and blood testing, both of which are important for evaluating your pet’s general health. Your pet’s veterinary dental cleaning is very different from the process you might undergo at your dentist. Veterinary dentistry is considerably more involved, time-consuming and complex. Cleaning a pet’s teeth requires general anesthesia and a day of hospitalization.

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