Your pet needs dental care just as much as you do. At Nall Hills Animal Hospital in Overland Park, KS, we offer a range of services to help you maintain your pet’s dental hygiene. These services can help enhance pet’s overall health, so it’s important to ensure that your pet is getting the care and treatment he or she needs.
Pet Dental Services We Offer
- Tooth cleaning – We’ll administer anesthesia to help your pet stay calm and safe during the cleaning, then we’ll use dental cleaning techniques to scrape away plaque buildup on teeth.
- Polishing – After a tooth cleaning, we’ll polish the teeth to make them ultra smooth. This will help prevent food and other organic items from clinging to your pet’s teeth.
- Tooth Extraction – Sometimes tooth extraction is necessary to restore your pet’s oral comfort and stop infection. At Nall Hills Animal Hospital, we perform tooth extractions for pets that need that level of care.
- Pet Owner Training – There are a variety of things that you can do to take care of your pet’s dental hygiene. We can help guide you as you learn how to:
- Clean your pet’s teeth – We’ll serve as a resource as you learn to brush your pet’s teeth at home.
- Feed your pet nutritious foods that are unlikely to cause tooth decay – We can help you choose the right foods to feed your pet.
- Give your pet toys that will help them maintain strong teeth and healthy gums – There are a variety of fun products on the market that can help your pet maintain good oral hygiene, and we can point out the best products for you.
Recognize the Symptoms of Poor Dental Hygiene
Does your pet have poor dental hygiene? If so, you may notice your pet experiencing one or more of these problems:
- Bad Breath – Pet breath may not be spectacular, but it shouldn’t be unpleasantly bad.
- Difficulty Eating – If your pet has sores in his or her mouth, or if your pet’s teeth are loose, your pet may have difficulty eating, which can lead to a variety of other health problems.
- Plaque Buildup – Just like humans, pets may develop a buildup of plaque on their teeth. This buildup may be yellowish or brown in color.
Contact our Overland Park Veterinarians for an Appointment Today
Pet dental care is critical. If your pet displays one of the above symptoms, it’s time to make an appointment with your Overland Park veterinarian. Contact Nall Hills Animal Hospital in Overland Park, KS today.
Pet Dental FAQs
What kinds of dental problems do pets develop?
Humans and pets share many similar dental challenges. These may include oral cancer, cracked or broken teeth, dental infections, injuries to the mouth and the most common threat of all, periodontal disease.
What is periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease in an inflammation of the tissues that surround the teeth. It occurs when bacteria is attracted to tartar, a hardened form of dental plaque. The body’s inflammatory reaction to these bacteria can result in swollen or bleeding gums, jawbone abscesses and tooth loss.
What are the warning signs of dental problems?
You may notice that your pet has foul breath, difficulty eating, discolored buildup on the teeth or signs of obvious pain. Oral cancer may appear as lumps or spots, but by the time it becomes visible to a non-expert it may already be in an advanced stage.
How often should my pet receive a dental exam?
Most healthy adult pets should receive a dental exam once a year. Senior pets, pets with existing dental issues and certain breeds vulnerable to dental problems may require more frequent exams.
What does a dental exam at your vet clinic include?
Our vet clinic inspects the teeth, gums and oral cavity for any signs of disease or damage. X-rays can identify abscesses, infections, and breakage invisible to the naked eye. Your veterinarian can also catch oral cancer at an early stage during an exam.
How are dental cleanings administered?
We administer careful measures of general anesthesia, then use specialized tools to scrape away stubborn tartar both above the gum line and below it. We follow the cleaning with polishing, smoothing the tooth surfaces so plaque has more trouble sticking to them.
Why does my veterinarian use anesthesia for cleanings?
While some practices advertise anesthesia-free procedures, these procedures cannot offer the depth and thoroughness of cleaning necessary for best results. Anesthesia keeps your pet calm and still, allowing us to work carefully without either the veterinarian or the patient getting hurt.
What forms of dental treatment can your dental clinic provide?
We can control infections with antibiotics, prescribe medications to relieve pain, extract a diseased tooth that threatens the health of other structures, remove cancerous tumors and more.
What home dental care practices can I adopt?
Our Overland Park veterinarian can show you how to brush your pet’s teeth, which can significantly reduce tartar buildup between exams. We may also recommend specific foods, treats or chew toys that help scrape away plaque.
