Good oral hygiene is important for your pet, just as it is in humans.  Regular health checks with a complete physical exam will enable your vet to identify any oral health and dental issues in your pet.

Dogs suffer from a variety of dental and oral health problems, including periodontal disease, endodontic disease, tooth fractures, malocclusions/developmental issues, and tooth resorption.

Periodontal disease (also called “dental disease”) is the most common major health problem of cats and dogs. It is estimated that up to 80% of cats and dogs over the age of three years suffer from periodontal disease.  

Periodontal disease is a disease of the supporting tissue of the teeth – the gums, ligaments and bone which hold and attach the teeth in place. These tissues become inflamed and infected. If left untreated, periodontal disease causes pain and infection, and tooth loss, and can cause much more serious problems such as jaw fracture or an abscess under the eye. 

The good news is most periodontal disease can be prevented or treated early in the course of the disease. This means that regular dental home care and regular periodontal treatments can help save your dog’s teeth.

At your annual health check your veterinarian will advise whether your pet needs to be booked in for a periodontal treatment or develop a dental home care plan to keep your pet’s teeth healthy. 

Endodontic disease is inflammation and infection of the pulp inside the tooth, which contains the nerve and blood supply. Disease of the tooth pulp causes a tooth ache and tooth death. Endodontic disease may be suspected based on physical examination of your dog or may be found with dental x-rays and an examination of the teeth whilst your dog is under anaesthesia.

There are only two options for endodontic disease: extraction or root canal therapy.

Dogs can suffer from tooth fractures due to accidents during play, or from chewing on hard objects such as deer antlers and bones (cut bones especially). If a tooth fracture involves the deeper structures of the tooth, then the tooth can become infected and painful, leading to endodontic disease and tooth death.

A malocclusion is a condition where the upper and lower jaws do not meet in the correct way, or one of the teeth has erupted at the wrong angle.  

Malocclusions can cause pain due to teeth contacting the gums, or sometimes the teeth will rub against one another and cause wear to other teeth.  

The most common malocclusion we see is called “base narrow canines” in puppies, where the lower canine teeth are hitting the upper palate. This is a painful condition and requires urgent treatment – usually involving removal of the teeth that cause the problem.  

The deciduous (or “baby“) teeth should fall out just before or around the same time as the permanent teeth erupt. If the deciduous teeth do not fall out by themselves, this can cause problems with the permanent teeth as the area is crowded and calculus will build up. At your pet’s 5-6 month old vaccine appointment, your vet will advise if your puppy has retained deciduous teeth that need extracting.

At your first puppy health check, and as they grow, we will check your pet’s occlusion and advise if we see any problems. 

Tooth resorption can occur in dogs. It is a condition that causes the animal’s own cells to resorb parts of the tooth, until the crown breaks off and the roots are replaced with bone. Tooth resorption is painful when it occurs on the crown of the tooth, as it causes a hole in the crown that exposes the nerve of the tooth to the oral cavity.  Tooth resorption can also occur in the root of the tooth (which is hidden under the gum) and can cause the crown of the tooth to break off. 

Diagnosis and treatment of tooth resorption requires full mouth X-rays to be taken along with a thorough examination of the teeth whilst the pet is under general anaesthesia. 

There is no way to prevent this condition. Treatment involves removal of the affected teeth under general anaesthesia.  

We have highly trained staff and modern equipment to ensure we give your dog the best care.

For your dog, the dental treatment they receive is very similar to when you go to your “human” dentist. We use the same equipment as your dentist: for cleaning teeth we use an ultrasonic scaler that sprays a fine mist, which allows us to also clean under the gums (the most important area to prevent and treat gum infection), and we use polish after cleaning just like your dentist does.

We take full mouth x-rays and use a metal instrument to probe and assess the health of the teeth and gums. We can also perform periodontal therapy for some teeth – this means we can treat some diseased teeth instead of extracting them. 

If teeth need removal, we give local nerve blocks to help with pain relief, and we can even apply sealant to your pets’ teeth to help stop plaque reattach. 

Good dentistry takes time, and just like your own dentist will do, if there is extensive treatment required for a dog, we will sometimes schedule this over two visits.

1. This means that the first visit will involve full mouth X-rays, cleaning and polishing and an oral health assessment.

2. Following this, the vet will make a treatment plan and give you an estimate for any treatment required which is booked in for 4-6 weeks later.

If urgent treatment is required, the veterinarian will address this while your dog is under anaesthesia during the first procedure.