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From the desk of Sharda Baker.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Hello and welcome everyone!
This is Sharda with another pet health newsletter update for you.
There’s really a certain dog grooming process that a lot of dog owners fail to do and that is dog tooth brushing.
This process is not only important for us humans but is also important for our furry buddies.
If you have failed to practice the dog tooth brushing process and you notice some strange behavior with your dog as well as bad dog breath then your dog may have a pet health problem that we will be discussing below.
Let’s start shall we?
PET HEALTH – DOG DENTAL DISEASE OR GUM DISEASE
SIGNS OF DOG DENTAL DISEASE
You may see some pus around the dog’s tooth or teeth and notice persistent bad dog breath. Your dog's gums will bleed easily and his mouth will be very sensitive. He may paw at his mouth and you will note inflamed gums that may be receding.
He may also have loose or missing dog teeth and have lost his appetite. Your dog might also have stomach or intestinal upsets, drooling, difficulty chewing or eating and be irritable or depressed.
CAUSES OF DOG DENTAL DISEASE
Periodontal disease is associated with the inflammation and loss of the deep supporting structures of dog teeth. Food particles and bacteria collect along the gum line forming plaque.
If plaque is not removed, minerals in the saliva combine with the plaque and form tartar/calculus that adheres to the teeth.
Plaque starts to mineralize 3-5 days after it forms. The tartar is irritating to the gums and causes gingivitis, a reddening of the gums adjacent to the dog’s teeth and bad dog breath. If the tartar is not removed, it builds up under the gums and separates the gums from the teeth.
This forms pockets and encourages even more bacterial growth. At this point the damage is irreversible, and called periodontal disease.
It can be very painful and can lead to loose teeth, abscesses, and bone loss or infection. Gum disease is the most common problem seen by vets. More than half of all pets suffer from gum disease; dental calculus or similar dental problems.
Calculus is the brown build-up of plaque found extending downwards on the dog’s tooth from the gum line. It hoards bacteria which can not only cause abscesses and tooth loss but can even result in organ damage as the bacteria are carried from the mouth, through the bloodstream.
PET HEALTH TREATMENT FOR DOG DENTAL DISEASE
Treatment depends upon the grade of the problem. Many times your dog will be started on antibiotics before the scheduled dog dental procedures. Your dog will be anesthetized and monitored during the procedure.
* Grade I or II: A routine dental cleaning and polishing. The plaque and tartar build-up are removed from the teeth, above and below the gum line, with handheld and ultrasonic scalers. The dog teeth are polished to remove microscopic scratches. The full mouth is checked for any disease. Fluoride may be applied.
* Grade III and IV: After the teeth are scaled, probing and dental radiology is performed in to select the appropriate treatment. Treatment options are root planeing and subgingival curettage, periodontal debridement, gingivectomy, periodontal surgery, special therapeutics, and tooth extraction.
* Root planeing: removing residual calculus and diseased cementum or dentin, and smoothing the root surface.
* Subgingival curettage: removes diseased epithelium and connective tissue. This is a difficult procedure.
* Periodontal debridement: irritants to the tooth and root surface (bacteria and endotoxins) produced by the bacteria are removed by special ultrasonic scalers.
* Gingivectomy: excess gingiva is removed. The area between this excess tissue and the tooth is a perfect habitat for bacteria.
* Periodontal surgery: These surgeries involve opening a flap of the gingiva over the root of the tooth to be able to reach the deeper structures.
* Special therapeutics: include artificial materials that can be placed inside the pockets to stimulate bone and periodontal growth. Some include antibiotics that are released for several weeks after the application.
* Tooth extraction: In some cases, a tooth cannot be saved or the owner elects not to have other procedures performed. In these cases, tooth extraction is the only alternative.
As you can see, it is better to avoid these dog dental problems rather than to cure since there are instances that it can really be dangerous for your dog’s health. So, I really advise you, if you’re not into the process of dog teeth yet, that you start immediately before it gets out of hand and becomes too late.
If you have a puppy then start getting your dog use to you touching his/her dog teeth so you can make this process much easier in the future. In the next pet health newsletter I will talk about some natural dog treatments for dog dental disease and what you can do at home.
I really hope that this pet health newsletter updates help you realize the importance of dog teeth cleaning for your furry friend.
All the best and take care
Warmly,
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