- Does your dog or cat have a beautiful smile but breath that could ‘knock a buzzard of a pork chop’?
- Could you use their bad breath to strip paint from your walls?
- Are you happy to share a bed with him, letting him huff in your face as he snuggles into the pillow?
- Do you notice his coat smells even only days after a bath?
If the answer to any of these questions is YES then there may well be a problem. Really stinky breath is NOT normal! Sure, they don’t exactly smell like tic-tacs or fresh minty toothpaste when they pant in your face, but there should be no smelly odour on their breath or lingering on their coat. If you pet has that, then what you are smelling is a delightful combination of bacteria, plaque and infection. And if you don’t like the smell, imagine how he feels given that it’s right in his mouth and his sense of smell is two hundred times better than yours! Icky!
Halitosis and oral infection are almost ALWAYS caused by dental and periodontal disease.
What do we really mean when we say this though?
Essentially, we mean the same thing as your human dentist. Your dog will build up plaque, a slime that accumulates daily and contains a mix of saliva proteins and bacteria. If this is not cleaned off daily the plaque hardens into tartar and forms a crust on the teeth. This allows bacteria to hide in the crevices, causing inflammation and irritation of the junction between the tooth and the gum and gingivitis (red gums) results. The gingivitis is the first step in the development of periodontal disease – a fancy way of saying disease of the structures that hold the tooth in the socket. Once these tooth ligaments, gum and bone attachments become diseased the tooth becomes loose, can become infected, abscesses may develop and your poor dog or cat is in a world of smelly pain.
The ultrasonic cleaning made affordable!
Just like when you go to the dentist your pet may need a dental scale and polish with ultrasonic equipment. We do this under a light general anaesthesia in animals because unlike their human owners, they are just not going to sit in a dentist chair and open wide! Our passion for dentistry has inspired us to provide a subsidised and affordable program for basic, routine scaling and polishing of teeth. More extensive dental work, requiring X rays or extractions is still very affordable. If you feel your pet may be suffering from dental problems we also offer free dental health checks to determine if and what treatment might be needed for your friend.
Dental disease is common and can have some really serious consequences. Bad breath and a stinky coat from grooming with infected saliva are just the beginning.
Have a look in your pet’s mouth. If the gums are red then there is PAIN present! If the teeth have brown tartar stuck on them then there is likely a bad taste in their mouth and a gritty texture as they run their tongue around their mouth – yuck! The way the world tastes and smells is different and not in a good way! And all this can be reversed very simply to a healthy, clean, sweet smelling mouth that is a joy to eat with and a pleasure to have snuggled next to you on the pillow!
FREE dental check ups
If you’re worried about your dog or cat’s mouth, come in for a FREE dental health check. There is much we can do for them at very reasonable cost!