Dental disease is much more common in our pets than most people realise. We know that people get dental disease and require regular dental check-ups and ultrasonic scale and polishes, and this is with us brushing and flossing our teeth daily. Dogs and cats are no different to us and unfortunately dental disease is inevitable at some point in our pets’ lives. It is also one of the only diseases that we can say with absolute certainty will get worse without veterinary treatment.
When your veterinarian looks at your pet’s mouth and performs a dental check they are searching for signs of red or pink gums, plaque or calculus on the teeth and loose teeth.
They are also grading the severity of your pet’s dental disease from 1-4. The above pictures demonstrate this progression.
When your pet is diagnosed with Grade 1 dental disease, we are thankful to have caught the dental disease at the only reversible stage.
Grade 1 dental disease is characterised by mildly pink or red gums, mild plaque and calculus deposits on the teeth and no evidence yet of bone loss around the teeth.
Grade 1 dental disease is reversible and curable with an ultrasonic scale and polish performed under general anaesthetic.
The procedure is not ‘just a scale and polish’ or ‘just a dental’. It is a chance to stop dental disease in its tracks. Unfortunately, once dental disease progresses to grade 2 or above there are changes to the support structures of the teeth and teeth will need to be extracted now or in the future. Like in humans we want to preserve as many teeth as we can to allow our pet’s good dental health into the future. Poor dental health can lead to other diseases like certain heart, liver and kidney diseases.
A Grade 1 dental package at Lynbrook Vet includes a full pre-anaesthetic check-up, sedation and pain relief, hospitalisation and gaseous anaesthetic. We perform a full oral cavity exam under anaesthetic. This is followed by a comprehensive ultrasonic scale and polish of all the teeth and a chlorhexidine (antiseptic) mouth rinse. Also included are intravenous fluids to help support your pet’s blood pressure and kidneys during the procedure. Finally, we include a free post-dental check 7 days after the procedure to check the healing of the mouth and to discuss options for ongoing dental care at home.
If you want to book in for one of our discounted dental health check consultations for your pet or have any questions regarding dental disease, please give us a call at 8373 0301. With your help we can help to protect your pet’s teeth now and put the brakes on dental disease today.
What is grade 1 dental disease in pets?
Grade 1 dental disease is the only reversible and curable stage of dental disease. It is characterised by characterised by mildly pink or red gums, mild plaque and calculus deposits on the teeth.
What is grade 2 dental disease in pets?
When the teeth of your pet have deteriorated from grade 1. It is no longer reversible and curable and the teeth must be extracted.
