Dentistry

Pet Dentistry

Our pets don’t clean their teeth like we do. They are designed to chew sinew and muscle and gnaw bones, but most of our pets do not lead this lifestyle. Or your pet may not have a jaw that is well designed for this sort of vigorous chewing.  A lack of chewing allows plaque and tartar build up around teeth. Bacteria then breeds and leads to periodontal disease – inflammation and eventual loss of the attachments that hold the teeth in place. Nasty and painful disease results and none of us want that for our pet!

Periodontal disease

This is the most common disease in the dog and cat affecting over 85% of all dogs and cats over 3 years of age. Periodontal disease is painful and smelly, and apart from loss of teeth can also lead to serious disease in other parts of the body such as the valves of the heart, lungs, liver and the kidneys! This is not good!

The signs of Periodontal disease:

  • Smelly or bad breath
  • Brown or yellow stained teeth
  • Broken or worn teeth
  • Changed eating habits
  • Chewing on one side only
  • Drooling or pawing at the mouth
  • Pain when you touch the face
  • Red or even bleeding gums

Just as we have come to enjoy excellent dental health in the hands of our dentists, so too can your dog enjoy significantly improved dental health!

We want to do our best to prevent this problem. We want your pet to have a mouth that anyone, furry or human, can be proud of! And we want all this to be affordable and easy to accomplish.

We have revamped and revised our dental health care program to make dental health care easier, less expensive and more accessible for you, the pet owner.

Affordable Dentistry

  • FREE Dental health checks are offered from our fully qualified veterinary nurses who are trained dental technicians
  • Reduced dentistry prices for preventative cleaning. Ultrasonic cleaning for dogs and cats with grade 1 or grade 2 dental disaese done under general anaesthesia has been subsidised by the clinic to make it more affordable. We have done this to improve the rate at which pets get their teeth cleaned. We love seeing all those dogs and cats running around with healthy teeth, and firmly believe that they will benefit and actually live longer!

However, only pets with early dental disease will be eligible for this reduced price preventative therapy. Pets with advanced dental disease will need more extensive work, so it’s more expensive to wait and see than deal with the problem early!

State of the art dental equipment: At Inner South Veterinary Centre have invested in a state of the art dental X ray machine and updated all our ultrasonic and surgical dental equipment. With these new and sophisticated tools we are more set than ever to treat your pet’s dental issues to the highest standard. Our vets and nurses undergo regular training and continuing education in this emerging field of veterinary dentistry and our nurses are all trained dental hygienists. We are really passionate about your pet’s mouth!

What does dentistry involve?

Dogs and cats need a general anaesthetic to assess the teeth. Careful probing and charting takes place with meticulous evaluation of every tooth. Ultrasonic cleaning is performed with extraction of teeth if required. Teeth that cannot be saved are generally removed to prevent problems in the future.

Dental Home Care

A program can then be put together for your pet, to ensure their oral hygiene remains good. There are multiple options for your pet;  from tooth brushing being the cheapest and most effective method to clean a pets teeth although somewhat difficult in some animals. Dietary change using the specially formulated and proven Hills t/d Diet or Hills VetEssentials diet makes cleaning teeth easy, PlaqueOff is a seaweed product that makes the plaque less sticky. Chew toys or dental treats designed to encourage chewing also help. There is something for every pet in our bag of tricks against dental disease and with good home care dental health can be very much improved.

If you think that your pet would benefit from a dental health check, tooth brushing, or professional dental cleaning book in for a FREE dental check with our friendly nurses today.

Dogs & Cats

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