Why Pet Dental Care is Important
Teeth & Gum Cleaning
As you can imagine, visits to the dentist are quite different for us than our canine and feline family members. Not only have we been taking care of our teeth on a daily basis for years, but also most of us can sit still and keep our mouths open for periods of time without sedation. Veterinary dentistry is more involved, time-consuming, and complex. Since cleaning your pet’s teeth requires general anesthesia, your pet may need to spend a day at our hospital.
The first step of your pet’s teeth cleaning is a physical examination. After making sure your pet is in good general health, we administer anesthesia for the safety and comfort of your pet and our team.
Once your pet is painlessly asleep, we begin the cleaning by removing the tartar from the teeth with a hand scaler. Next, we use an ultrasonic scaler and curette to clean above the gum line while cleaning and smoothing the teeth under the gum line. After that is complete, we polish their teeth, clean the gums, and wash with an antibacterial solution to delay future tartar build-up.
Digital Dental Radiography
4 Paws Pet Clinic offers digital dental radiology which produces high-definition images of your pet's teeth. More accurate than traditional radiology, digital dental radiology produces clear images of the area below your pet's gum line to diagnose dental disease that cannot be seen by visual examination alone. This is a powerful tool for enabling the treatment of dental disease before it becomes much larger and more difficult to treat.
Extractions & Surgery
In advanced cases of periodontal disease, oral surgery or tooth extractions are required. We perform a wide range of dental procedures.
Prevention: At Home Care
Dental care does not end with a visit to our veterinarian. It's important to continue this good work at home! Brushing your pet's teeth is an important part of home dental care. Any member of our team can show you the proper method of brushing your pet's teeth.
Call our office at (815) 523-7297 (PAWS) to schedule an appointment for your pet's next visit. We can't wait to see you!