February is Animal Dental Health Month

Dental health in dogs and cats is an important, and often overlooked, area of wellness or pet health maintenance. We all know the importance of regular brushing and dental health checkups for ourselves but tend to forget about these needs in our furry companions. The purpose of dental health month is to raise the awareness of the importance of dental health in our companion animals. Some of the more common dental problems that affect both dogs and cats include:

tooth caries or cavities tooth root abscesses tooth fractures (usually to the crown, or part above the gumline) dental attrition or wearing down of the tips of the teeth from chewing on rocks, hard sticks, or cage bars (a condition that is much more common in large dogs) crowded or rotated teeth – common in purebred cats and dogs bite abnormalities such as an overbite, an underbite, or a crossbite periodontal disease as a result of dental tartar accumulation

All of these conditions have the potential to cause irreversible tooth damage, leading to loss of teeth, and many of them are painful. Crowded teeth, bite abnormalities and tooth fractures increase the likelihood of tartar to accumulate on the affected teeth, but even normal dogs and cats will readily accumulate dental tartar. Dental tartar inevitably leads to periodontal disease, which is by far the most common dental problem of companion animals. Periodontal disease is painful, and left untreated, tooth loss is inevitable.  Although dogs and cats are highly domesticated, their predecessors had to adapt by hiding symptoms of weakness or injury in order to survive. Thus, animals may suffer from moderate levels of chronic pain, such as that caused by periodontal disease, a tooth abscess or a fractured tooth, with few obvious signs. An observant pet owner may notice that there is a problem if their pet starts dropping pieces of food while eating, goes over to the food dish as if hungry and then walks away (unfortunately often interpreted as “finicky” appetite), chews food only on one side of the mouth, or loses interest in chewing hard things such as bones. In some cases, pet owners notice nothing at all until their cat’s mouth starts smelling bad or their dog develops a swelling beneath the eye (indicating a tooth root abscess). In its early stages, dental disease can be treated and controlled with minimal pain and loss of teeth. However, once a tooth root becomes abscessed, it will require either a root canal treatment or an extraction. Fractured teeth and caries can be restored or filled with dental composite materials, but these procedures are often only performed by veterinary dental specialists. Prevention is a far easier and better option for the average pet and owner, with regular toothbrushing, dental checkups, and professional dental cleaning and polishing as indicated. In spite of widespread advertising campaigns, it is rarely enough to give their pet dental treats or just feed their cat or dog dry kibble and assume that “the teeth will take care of themselves”.