Dental disease is quite common in pets. That’s why it’s important to care for your pet’s oral health. Routine dental exams and cleanings from Animal Medical Center of Pleasanton can go a long way toward protecting your pet against dental issues like abscesses, tooth infections, and periodontal disease. It also keeps your pet’s teeth and gums looking, feeling, and functioning at their best.
The Importance of Pet Dental Care
Poor oral care can have devastating consequences on your pet’s teeth and gums. Over time, bacteria will accumulate on your pet’s teeth, causing plaque and tartar buildup, which can lead to dental disease. Diseased gums and teeth can be painful, affecting your pet’s quality of life. Your pet may even start to lose teeth due to dental disease. If bacteria enter your pet’s bloodstream, it can spread throughout his body, causing damage to internal organs.
The good news is that dental disease can be prevented through dental preventative care. If you own a puppy, kitten, dog, or cats, annual dental exams and cleanings should be a part of their pet care.
What to Expect from a Pet Dental Exam and Cleaning
At a dental exam, our Pleasanton vet will inspect your pet’s mouth, teeth, and gums for signs of abnormalities or disease. We’ll take x-rays of your pet’s teeth to check bone health and identify problems beneath the gum line. If we uncover problems, we will recommend treatment. Severely diseased teeth may need to be extracted to relieve pain and prevent infection of healthy teeth.
Dental cleaning involves scaling your pet’s teeth to remove plaque and tartar, particularly under the gum line. We’ll then polish his teeth to leave them smooth and shiny. Our exams and cleanings are done under anesthesia so your pet feels no pain. Anesthesia also keeps your pet still and quiet during these procedures so our vet can do a thorough job.
At-Home Dental Care
Your puppy, kitten, dog, or cats can also benefit from at-home oral care in between veterinary visits. We recommend brushing your pet’s teeth at least several times a week and giving your pet food, treats, and chew toys that help reduce plaque to keep his teeth healthy and strong. By beginning home brushing early on in your puppy or kitten’s life, he will become used to it as he grows.
Trust Our Pleasanton Veterinary Specialist for Dental Preventative Care
Your pet depends on you. Oral health is an important part of the care that you need to provide. To learn more about oral care or to schedule a dental exam and cleaning for your pet, contact Animal Medical Center of Pleasanton at (925) 734-8387 today. We look forward to meeting your pet care needs.
