Why does my dog need a “dental”?

March 1, 2023

This is something you’ve probably heard us say fairly often in consultations, but do you know why, or what it involves?

Why do dogs need dental treatment?

The main reason is because of an accumulation of plaque or tartar on the teeth. We may also recommend one if there is obvious damage to a tooth (such as a fracture); to the gums (typically gingivitis), or if there is a loose or wobbly tooth (a sign of periodontal disease).

What are plaque and tartar?

Essentially, plaque is the soft furry bits on your dog’s teeth, and tartar is the hard lumpy bits!

Plaque is a mixture of saliva, food, dead gum cells, and bacteria (congregating there to feed on all the other bits). If not rapidly removed by tooth brushing, minerals in the saliva crystallise forming tartar. This is much harder to remove than soft, squidgy plaque, and requires either devoted tooth brushing or a dental with us.

OK, why are they a problem?

Because of the huge number of bacteria living inside them! These bacteria have a nice protected environment (especially in hard-to-dislodge tartar), it’s warm and wet and there’s a constant supply of food. As a result, they multiply exponentially! This results in halitosis (bad breath) and leads to inflammation and infection of the gums – called gingivitis.

Gingivitis causes the mouth to become sore and uncomfortable, and often the gums will appear reddened and swollen. It’s also a risk factor for abnormal gum swellings – gingival hyperplasia and epulis, both of which can make it difficult for affected dogs to eat. Worse, once the bacteria are infecting the gumline, they can spread around the body, and cause heart disease and kidney infections.

If the gingivitis goes untreated, the bacteria will spread down from the gums into the tooth sockets, causing periodontal disease. Infection in this space is very painful, but also damages the ligaments holding the teeth in place. Eventually, the teeth will become loose, wobbly, and will fall out.

Many dogs will continue eating even though they have severe dental disease, so unfortunately, you can’t assume that because they’re still polishing off their dinner, there isn’t a problem. When they stop eating it means the disease is so advanced that they need urgent treatment – you should never leave it that long!

So, what does “a dental” do to help?

A ‘dental’ is the common term used for a range of different dental hygiene and surgical techniques. How much needs to be done depends on how severe the dental disease is. The aim of a dental is to return the mouth (as far as possible) to its original, healthy, state. Of course, we can’t do that with the dog awake (no dog, no matter how good, is going to stand there with their mouth open while we work on their teeth!). As a result, we need to put your dog under general anaesthesia to do a proper job.

Once the dog is asleep and has an endotracheal (breathing) tube in to protect their airway, we will carefully examine the mouth to get an idea of what we’re dealing with. All the findings will be recorded on a dental chart (if you want to see your dog’s chart, just ask us!).

Where possible, we will try and save the teeth, but if there is severe periodontal disease it may be necessary to remove the affected tooth. We may be able to suture closed the gumline afterwards, but if the mouth is very infected, it’s actually safer to leave the socket open to drain.

The next step is a scale and polish – an ultrasonic scaler is used to remove tartar, and then every tooth is polished to make the surface smoother, and therefore harder for plaque to stick to.

We’ll then wake them up – usually, dogs are ready to go home the same day, but if we’ve had to remove a lot of teeth, we may keep them in for extra pain relief and monitoring overnight.

How can I prevent dental disease?

Simple – brush your dog’s teeth thoroughly every day! Don’t use a human toothpaste (the mint burns a dog’s mouth) but use a proper dog brand (ask at reception, we can recommend a good one for you). It can also be helpful to use a dog mouthwash to reduce the number of bacteria in the mouth.

Unfortunately, even the best care may not be sufficient to avoid a dental for ever – but you can certainly delay the necessity!

If you’re concerned about your dog’s teeth, make an appointment for one of our vets to check them over.