Dentistry
Signs of dental disease include:
- Smelly breath
- Red, inflamed gums
- Brown discolouration of the teeth
- Bleeding from the gums
- Eating more slowly than usual
- Eating less than usual
- Teeth falling out
Our trained vets and nurses can perform a full dental check (if your pet allows it!), identifying any dental disease and its severity, and making a recommendation for treatment. However, a complete assessment can only be performed under general anaesthetic, even in a very well-behaved patient.
All pets will have their teeth checked at their annual vaccination appointment, and this should be a minimum. It is advisable to have your pets’ teeth checked more regularly e.g., at their six-month health check, to prevent painful dental disease from developing. If you have concerns about your pet's dental health, please call the practice to book a dental check.
What if dental disease is found?
If dental disease is found on examination, a dental procedure will be recommended. Thankfully many of our practices have the facilities to perform dental procedures on-site. They are always performed under anaesthetic, as it is simply not possible to do a thorough assessment with pets awake.
Putting off a dental procedure will likely cause worsening of the dental disease, discomfort and potentially more tooth extractions as well as making the procedure more complex, longer and more expensive.
