Natural, Whole-Body Pet Dental Care

A healthy mouth promotes a healthy body. 85% of all pets have disease in their mouth that can spread and damage other parts of the body. At Countryside Animal Hospital, we take a natural, whole-pet approach to dental care — treating the mouth as the gateway to your pet’s overall health, not just a set of teeth.

Periodontal Disease: The Silent Killer

Cavities are rare in pets, but periodontal disease (gum disease) is the most prevalent. Plaque (bacteria) attaches to the tooth enamel, starting as a yellow stain on the tooth. The gums become red and painful and recede, exposing the tooth root. At this stage, there is a foul odor in the mouth and bleeding gums. This process eventually causes the tooth to abscess and fall out — but that is only the start. Infection then enters the bloodstream and travels to the heart, liver, and kidneys, causing these organs to fail.

Periodontal disease is a silent killer. When a pet stops eating, it is too late to save the tooth, and the infection has already spread throughout the body. Nature tells pets to suppress pain — if they look weak, they become prey. This is why pets with severe infection go unnoticed: they are not acting abnormally.

A Simple, Natural Check You Can Do at Home

Lift your pet’s lip and check the teeth for a yellow stain, red gums, and mouth odor. All of these signs spell periodontal disease.

Dogs with hair around their mouths are more prone to periodontal disease — the hair harbors food particles that bathe the teeth in bacteria. Breeds at greatest risk include poodles, Yorkshire terriers, schnauzers, and shih tzus. Bigger dogs injure their teeth by chewing on hard objects. Veterinary dental specialists now recommend that you do not give your pet a treat you cannot compress between your fingers. Bones, Nylabones, and cow hooves all break teeth.

Gentle, Thorough Care — Beyond Surface Cleaning

Dentistry for pets has progressed far beyond the days of scraping the tooth surface and pulling infected teeth — an approach that did nothing to improve the life of the pet. Countryside Animal Hospital is dedicated to improving the health of every pet’s mouth and, in turn, their whole body.

A complete oral examination is performed under anesthesia, keeping your pet calm, still, and pain-free throughout. Only one third of the tooth is visible in the mouth — the root sits below the gum in the jaw bone. Complete full-mouth x-rays detect the extent of damage to the root; a tooth cleaning is not complete without them. Procedures such as root canals can be performed to save a tooth. When a tooth cannot be saved, extraction is performed as gently as possible: nerve blocks coupled with general anesthesia eliminate pain, the gum is incised and reflected, all roots are carefully removed, and the gum is sutured.

X-rays of the mouth will also reveal permanent teeth that have not erupted through the gum, as well as bone cysts. In some cases, a referral to a board-certified veterinary dentist will be made.

Natural Prevention at Home

Home care after a teeth cleaning is the most natural medicine there is — daily prevention that stops plaque before it starts. Our hospital carries many approved products to keep your pet’s mouth clean and healthy between visits, and our staff will show you a gentle home-care routine suited to your pet.

Cats Need Dental Care Too

Cats can develop periodontal disease as well, but a major problem in cats is tooth resorption. The cause is unknown — the body attacks the tooth, dissolving roots and enamel. The process is very painful and leads to gum disease; in severe cases, teeth must be extracted. Our hospital has seen this condition in cats as young as 6 months. A complete mouth examination with x-rays will reveal this condition, and keeping the teeth clean will slow the disease process.