February 2005
Visit the Newsletter Archive

• February is Pet Dental Health Month.
• Another Weight Loss Champion
• Fun activities for kids!

Celebrating Pet Dental Health Month
Every year, in February, veterinarians and their staff all over the country commemorate Pet Dental Health Month. The designation of February as the month to concentrate on pet oral health is really sort of a “Hallmark moment”. Good oral health is important all year round just as it is with us. Can you imagine what you would feel like if you didn’t brush your teeth everyday? Aside from having fewer friends (due to bad breath), you’d have diseased teeth and gums, and you could be chronically ill with kidney, heart, and/or liver disease caused by the bacteria in the plaque and tartar that accumulate on your teeth. We brush our teeth at least twice a day and visit our dental hygienist once or twice a year to maintain a healthy mouth. Do our pets deserve any less?

Home Care
Periodontal disease is the primary oral health problem we see everyday. In fact, 85% of pets over the age of 3 years have some degree of periodontal disease. Periodontal disease begins when plaque, a mixture of bacteria and food debris, builds up on tooth surfaces and works its way under the gum line. Toxins released by the bacteria lead to destruction of the tissue and bone that anchor the teeth in place. This is the point at which the bacteria can enter the blood stream and affect the heart, liver, and kidneys. Many chronic diseases in our pets may be caused simply by poor oral health. Studies have shown that pets receiving regular oral care (both home care and professional cleanings) can live up to five years longer!!

Brushing your dog’s or cat’s teeth may not sound like something you’d even want to attempt. We certainly can understand. That is why there are quite a few options to daily brushing that are effective ways of controlling plaque accumulation. Here are the options for home dental care:

• Brush – Use toothpaste specially formulated for dogs and cats. Pick a flavor you think your pet would like. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush – child-size usually works best – or a finger toothbrush available at all veterinary clinics and pet stores. To be effective in plaque prevention, tooth brushing must be done a minimum of once daily. Recent studies have shown that brushing less often than once a day has only a small impact on reduction of the occurrence of periodontal disease. (For tips on teaching your pet to allow tooth brushing please visit our February 2004 newsletter.)
  
• Rinse – This option involves daily use of a rinse containing antibacterial properties. The trillions of bacteria in the plaque are the biggest threat to good oral health. Using a rinse daily will help reduce the bacterial count and decrease the chance or severity of periodontal disease.
  
• Chew – Several manufacturers have developed products to be used as treats (for both dogs and cats) which offer antibacterial properties to reduce plaque accumulation. Pet food manufacturers have also developed pet foods that help reduce the accumulation of plaque and tartar.
  
• OraVet Barrier Sealant - We are glad to have a new product for plaque prevention. OraVet is a gel which you apply to your pet’s teeth only once a week. It bonds to the teeth providing a barrier against the attachment of plaque. Since it needs to be applied only once weekly and is very effective, it has become a very popular product.

Our February 2003 newsletter covers the different stages of periodontal disease and guides you through the steps of a professional cleaning here at East Hilliard Veterinary Services. Please note that at the writing of that article we were not yet using the OraVet product. It is now the final step in the cleaning process for all of our patients receiving a professional cleaning.

Other Oral Health Problems
Because of the prevalence of periodontal disease it is sometimes easy to think that it is the only oral condition which might occur in your pet. You can easily visualize nearly every part of your pet’s body except for the mouth and teeth. While daily oral care increases the chance that you would spot a problem, we would like to show you some of the other conditions which might exist in your pet’s mouth.

Fractures
There are two primary causes for fractured teeth. The first, as in this fractured canine, is through acute trauma. Sometimes, while playing with family, a dog will get hit with a bat or golf club, or slip and hit a wall breaking a tooth. The second is chronic trauma which occurs when the animal is regularly chewing on hard objects. This premolar has a “slab fracture” which occurred during play with a hard chew toy. Monitor your pet’s chewing activities and remove potentially harmful items from their area.

When a tooth is fractured into the endodontic canal where the nerve and blood supply are, the tooth must have a root canal performed. Extraction is also an option for fractured teeth, but they must never be ignored. These teeth are very painful and the opening in the endodontic canal allows bacteria to enter causing an abscess. The x-ray shows a finished root canal on the fractured canine tooth.

Feline Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesion

The reason for this condition is not yet fully understood. Much research has been done and the most recent research seems promising. It is a painful process in which the tooth slowly dissolves. The cat suffering from this condition needs veterinary attention right away.

Retained baby teeth
If a baby tooth does not fall out when it should, it needs to be extracted. The retained baby tooth forces the erupting adult tooth out of proper alignment. The resulting malocclusion (misalignment of the teeth) can cause pain and difficulty chewing. Also, periodontal disease occurs more quickly in areas where the teeth are improperly aligned. In this photo you can see where plaque is beginning to develop between the teeth, and the gum tissue is beginning to react to the plaque (gingivitis).

Oral Masses
A mass such as this would certainly be easy to see but many of the masses we find are much smaller. Oral masses are often cancerous and must be removed and biopsied to confirm what type of mass they are. Many times we can remove the mass completely stopping the cancerous progression. The accompanying x-ray shows that not only was there a mass in this dog’s mouth, there were two fractured teeth. Note the dark circle around one tooth root. That is an abscess.

Crowding
Crowded teeth are common in dogs and cats with short noses, i.e. Pugs, Persians. They have as many teeth as their longer nosed counterparts but not enough room for them all. Many of these teeth are not properly seated in the jaw bone and, because of the misalignment, they accumulate plaque and tartar much more quickly.

Malocclusion
Malocclusions have a large variety of presentations. Some malocclusions do not need therapy; the animal can live a normal life. Some need correction to relieve pain and help regain normal function. This photo shows a dog with an overbite forcing the lower canine teeth into the roof of the dog’s mouth (the palate). It is a painful condition which might have been prevented with early veterinary intervention. (This dog had a procedure performed which relieved his pain.)

Pulpal hemorrhage
Note the bruised appearance of this canine tooth. That is exactly what it is – a bruise. The tooth was damaged by some sort of trauma and there was bleeding into the tubules within the tooth. This tooth may remain vital for the life of the dog but it must be monitored by a dental x-ray every six to twelve months.

Missing teeth
Adult dogs should have 42 teeth. Adult cats should have 30 teeth. Missing teeth should always be examined by dental x-ray. This dog was lucky and his missing tooth was just a quirk of Mother Nature.

Good oral care is one of the best things you can do for your pet. Recognition of a problem is the first step to getting your pet pain free and healthy.

Another Weight Loss Champion!
Sylvester Pepper, known to his friends as Vester is our third cat to graduate the weight management program. His owner wrote us this article to detail the steps they had to take to achieve his goal weight. Great job Vester and family! Vester is a large framed cat so at 11.3 pounds he had a healthy body condition score of 5 out of 9. When a new kitten came into the house Vester felt the need to fatten up, so by February of 2004 he came into the office weighing a whopping 14.5 pounds. We decided to place him on a prescription diet food and give him set feeding times. In the first 3 months we had little success; he did not lose much weight. His food was then switched to the Waltham Calorie Control diet. This food agreed with him in both taste and weight loss. It took 11 months but he is currently at a slim 11.4 pounds. He has more energy and seems to get around a lot easier now.

Pet Dental Health Month Activities for the kids!
This month we include several items JUST FOR KIDS! Several pictures to print out and color, as well as a Dental Health Month Word Find! Click the links below to download each file. (All files are in Adobe Acrobat format, and require the free Acrobat Reader software.)

Dental police coloring page.
Gigi Coloring Page
Pete Coloring Page
Pet Dental Health Word Find

Visit the Newsletter Archive