Dog-Dental Exam

July 10, 2016

Teeth play an important role in eating of every human being or animal having it .They are made of enamel, which is the hardest substance of the body. Teeth and ear pain is known to be worse pain. Same like human beings dogs also suffer from dental problems such as tartar and plaque, periodontal disease, toothache, systemic illnesses, bad breath, retained baby teeth and stomatitis.

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A regular dental exam is referring on spotting premature dental disease signs. The dental problem left untreated in dogs or any other pets can cause serious health problems like heart disease, the problem in the kidney or some other health related issues.

What is a dog Dental Exam?

The most common dental disease in the dog is gingivitis and periodontitis, collectively known the periodontal disease.

According to American Veterinary Dental Association study, about 80 percent of cats and dogs having age above 3 years have some sort of periodontal disease. Therefore, it is essential to keep your dog’s teeth healthy, clean and the best way is, to begin with, a regular dental examination of your dog by an expert veterinarian. This check up is dog’s dental exam.

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How is the dog Dental Exam conducted?

Like all other medical treatments, dental check-up starts with a medical history of a dog. Your veterinarian will ask you some common question about your dog like have you ever notices excessive drooling, bad breath or dogs pawing at the mouth the answers to these question will help the veterinarian diagnose the dental problem from which the dog is suffering.

Steps of conducting Dental exam

Veterinarian will conduct the dental exams in following steps:

  1. He will initiate by examining dog’s neck and head to notice any sort of lumps, swelling, enlarged lymph or pain. A collection of pus bordered by inflamed tissue is called abscess, which can cause swelling of jaws and neck and is very painful for dogs, while the presence of any infection Lymph nodes become enlarged. The veterinarian will also smell dogs breath, Bad breath is a symptom of periodontal disease.
  2. Next, the veterinarian will examine any bleeding, redness, and inflammation in gums and teeth. Swollen and reddish teeth are due to gingivitis
  3. Now it is time to check whether the dog is having any damaged teeth, tartar or plaque. Plaque is a gummy yellowish stuff that sticks with dog’s teeth and causes tartar.
  4. After that, he will check any growth or lumps, which could possibly be oral cancer.
  5. At last, he will end up with the dental x-ray, which checks the health of teeth and roots.

Benefits of Regular Dental Exam:

Following are the benefits of regular dental exam:

  1. If there are any initial symptoms of dental disease, it can cure at initial stage without getting worse.
  2. A veterinarian can check whether the puppy’s adult teeth are normally coming.
  3. You can get tips about pets tooth brushing.

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Dental Care at home

After complete dental exams, the veterinarian may suggest dental cleanings such as tooth brushing, chewing dental toys, dental gels or any other sort of care.

References:

http://www.vetstreet.com/care/dental-exam-for-pets

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/features/dentistry-dogs

http://www.petmd.com/dog/slideshows/general-health/dental-problems-bad-breath-in-dogs-cats#