Pet Dental Care

A keystone to your pet’s health.

Pet Dental Care

A keystone to your pet’s health.

Dental Services

Black River Veterinary Hospital is pleased to offer dental services for our clients. Dental disease is one of the most overlooked disease in pets even though it is very prevalent and dangerous. If left untreated, the disease can travel through the bloodstream. This causes many problems, including heart, liver, and kidney disease. The worst part of dental disease is its prevalence. It is thought that 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats more than three years old are affected by the disease. The number is astonishing, considering how many pets are well taken care of!

Dental disease is so prevalent because owners still are not informed about how important good dental care is. There are many things you can do to prevent and treat dental disease. The best way to prevent the disease is to brush your pet’s teeth. There are also dental chews and other dental things available on the market. However, many owners simply don’t know enough to make sure they are caring for their pet’s teeth the way they should.

Comprehensive Pet Dental Care

Good dental care also requires routine examinations by a veterinarian. Veterinarians can catch dental disease early, help you figure out if there is more you can do, and even recommend a professional dental cleaning if the disease is really bad. Professional dental cleanings under anesthesia are the very best way to stop dental disease. We clean your pet’s teeth like your dentist does cleans yours. We can even get underneath the gums, where owners are not able to get to.

After a professional cleaning, it is important to keep brushing your pet’s teeth and provide dental chews to keep dental disease from coming back. Signs of dental disease include discolored teeth, bad breath, and even difficulty eating. Some pets experience blood in their mouths because the disease has progressed so far. If you notice any of these, you need to schedule an examination as soon as possible.

If your dog or cat is found to have gum loss, abscesses or dental disease that requires extractions (pulling of teeth), we can take care of that too. If extractions are necessary, we will give pain medications to help keep your pet comfortable.

Here at Black River Veterinary Hospital, we are proud to be able to offer our clients digital dental radiology. It is our goal to stay on top of all medical advances, especially in veterinary medicine. Our veterinarians and staff are constantly learning so our hospital can be at the top of the game.

One way we do this is by offering digital dental radiographs. Taking radiographs during dental procedures allows veterinarians to correctly diagnose dental problems. It allows us to look inside your pet’s teeth and see their oral cavities. Digital dental radiographs allow us to decide which teeth need to be pulled and which are healthy enough to stay. They also help us decide if owners need to do more for their pets at home.

Digital radiographs are very safe and effective. We will be able to view the radiographs just seconds after they are taken, so they are an invaluable diagnostic tool during dental cleanings.