If your pet has very bad breath, he or she could be suffering dental problems. Nearly 80% of all adult pets suffer from periodontal disease to some degree, and those with severe cases are quite literally at risk of bacterial infection to vital organs. Pet periodontal disease is also painful and can make it hard for your pet to eat and drink normally, meaning that necessary nutrients are not going where they need to go. Yet, even if your pet has never had a pet dental care checkup, or you have never brushed your pet’s teeth at home, it is still not too late to improve your pet’s dental health.

Good Pet Dental Care = A Healthier, Happier Pet
Ongoing pet dental care will help your pet avoid pain and infection, and it comes in two parts:

    1. An annual checkup with our Topeka veterinarian who is particularly trained and experienced in pet dentistry.

    2. A daily home dental hygiene regimen with your pet.

If your pet has never had a pet dentistry appointment, contact us to schedule one today at 785-267-6060. The sooner we are able to examine and treat any pet periodontal disease problems, the better. Our veterinarian will thoroughly examine and ultrasonically clean and polish your pet’s teeth to help prevent future tartar accumulation. If a pet has multiple dental issues and needs deep cleaning, extractions or other oral surgery procedures, it will probably take more than one annual appointment. Also, these appointments must take place under anesthesia for everyone’s safety. Before any procedure requiring anesthesia, we do a complete blood panel to ensure there will not be any health concerns, and a veterinary tech is always standing by to monitor your pet’s vital signs.

A home pet dental hygiene program is just as essential as these pet dentistry appointments. While plaque builds up on your pet’s teeth every day, it is actually quite easy to remove as long as you brush your pet’s teeth daily. If the plaque is allowed to fester, it will harden and become concrete-like tartar that can only be removed by our pet dentist. This tartar spells trouble for many pets as it attracts the damaging bacteria that inflame the gums and work their way down into the roots and even into the bloodstream to infect your pet’s organs.

If you have never brushed your pet’s teeth, we can help you get started. We can suggest pet toothpastes that will not upset your pet’s stomach and come in pet-preferred flavors like tuna, peanut butter or chicken. We can also advise you on how to train your pet to let you do the brushing. It usually takes a couple of weeks to work up to full-on pet teeth brushing, but it is worth it for your pet’s overall health! We can also suggest tasty dental treats and water-bowl additives that can help combat plaque and bacteria.

Contact our Topeka veterinarian today at (785) 267-6060 for a dental appointment.