About oral examination...

    If you do not feel comfortable checking  your pet’s teeth, here at Aloha you Veterinarian, will do it for you during the physical exam. The recommendation from the Dental Veterinarians is to brush your pet’s teeth at least once a day. We know that only 2% of pet owner brush at least once a week! If we compare our dental hygiene with the one we provide our loving pets, we have to be a little bit more aggressive. Plaque is present all the time in our pet teeth, but in the long run if we don’t keep it under control, it’ll lead to tartar formation in various stages and at the end not only teeth will be involved but gums, ligaments and alveolar bone . Once the alveolar bone and ligament are involved we are talking about Periodontal disease which is painful, our pet’s breath smell really bad, but most important , the condition can be avoided with good dental hygiene.

    Here are some abnormal situations you can find in on your pets teeth:

  • FRACTURED TOOTH if the pulp canal is exposed it is an opened door for ascending infections that can result in root abscess.
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  • DISCOLORED TOOTH 94% of discolored teeth are dead teeth, if the pulp is dead it became necrotic, infected and lead to chronic abscess
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  • ORONASAL FISTULA is a opening from the mouth to the nasal cavity allows food water , bacteria and plaque to enter the nasal cavity resulting in chronic rhinitis.
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  • PERIODONTAL DISEASE most common disease that affects dog and cats; results in chronic infection that may cause systemic illness.
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  • SUBORBITAL SWELLING due to dental root abscess, tumors or cyst.
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  • ORAL TUMORS approximately 50% of them are malignant early diagnosis of a small mass is easier to treat successfully.
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  • RESORPTIVE LESIONS approximately 50% of domestic cats have at least one resorptive lesion that is sensitive / painful.
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  • STOMATITIS IS DOGS very painful condition, most dogs are reluctant to allow an oral exam or brushing.
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  • MISSING OR UNERUPTED TEETH can be a source of cyst formation and subsequent bone loss.
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        Besides brushing to keep those teeth healthy, there are some antibacterial rinses and chew products that the act as your pet’s tooth brush , they should be used on regular basis. Also, DENTAL BARRIER SEALANT( OraVet) is available . The sealant can be applied after a dental cleaning at the Veterinarian office and then at home once a week to keep those teeth protected from plaque and tartar formation. Just like us, that have our teeth cleaned twice a year, your pet’s teeth will need to be cleaned and evaluated for any dental abnormality at least once a year.