Imagine if you never brushed your teeth or had them cleaned. Pretty frightening, right? As you can guess, things would eventually start to go very, very bad inside your mouth: teeth would rot and decay, gums would become inflamed and infected. Harmful bacteria would eventually travel into your bloodstream and could cause other serious health problems. And we haven’t even mentioned the daily, debilitating pain.
It’s the same scenario for your dog or cat. While some people might laugh at the idea of brushing their pet’s teeth or taking them for a dental cleaning, the fact is that by age three, most dogs and cats have some evidence of periodontal disease. Periodic dental exams help maintain proper oral hygiene and prevent future serious problems.
McGee Street Animal Hospital offers complete pet oral health services, including:
- Dental exams
- Annual dental cleanings
- Dental X-rays
- Extractions
Following the American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines, we only do cleanings and dental work on anesthetized pets. To ensure your pet is healthy enough to undergo anesthesia, we do require a routine blood test before the procedure.
Our veterinarians can also give you pointers on how to brush your pet’s teeth at home, which will prevent many serious dental problems. If brushing your pet’s teeth isn’t an option, we can also recommend products to help prevent tartar and plaque build-up between cleanings.
If you have questions about our dental services or want to make an appointment, just give us a call at 405-329-0181.