Cat Dental Care Back

Cat Dental Care should begin right in the beginning when your pet is still a kitten. By three years of age, most cats show signs of dental disease if not taken care of right from the start. Bad oral hygiene can cause a lot of health issues for your cat as dental disease can lead to the spread of the bacteria through the bloodstream. These bacteria can cause serious disease in the heart, kidneys and the liver.

Dental Care for the lifespan of your cat

Dental care begins at the kitten life stage and has two components:

• Oral Examinations
• Dental Hygiene
When you bring in your kitten to us, we screen for:
• Baby teeth (when your pet is still a kitten)
• Missing teeth
• Extra Teeth
• Swelling
• Oral development

As your pet ages, we will look for other factors that can be painful and cause serious health problems if left untreated like:

• Developmental anomalies
• Plaque and tartar
• Periodontal disease
• Oral tumours

At Bickford Vet, we can perform an oral examination on your pet when you bring them in for a check-up. However, for a more thorough examination, we will have to administer an anesthetic. This will also help us take any full mouth X-Rays and do dental cleanings as required.

We can also provide a demonstration on how to brush your cat’s teeth at home so that you can maintain your cat’s oral hygiene and reduce issues later on.

Sign of Dental Problems in your cat

If you see any of the following signs in your cat, it is recommended that you bring them in for a checkup for possible dental disease:

• Foul breath
• Tartar build-up
• Red or swollen gums
• Drooling
• Chewing only on one side of the mouth
• Eating only wet food
• Loss of or reduced appetite
• Hesitation in eating
• Swelling on the face
• Rubbing or pawing at one side of the face
• Head Shy
• Jaw Chattering

Dental Procedure at Bickford Vet

Pre-Anesthetic Exam and Blood Tests: If we need to administer anesthesia to your cat, we do a detailed and thorough check up. Although modern anesthetics are completely safe, we will run test like blood, urine, electrocardiograph, and x-ray tests to ensure that your pet will be able to tolerate the anesthetic.

Anesthesia Monitoring: We monitor your pet throughout the procedure for all the vital signs such as body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and respiration. We ensure your pet’s safety every step of the way.

Digital Dental Radiographs: We will take digital dental radiographs (X-rays) of your pet’s teeth so that we can catch any problems that might be going on underneath the gum line that are not visible. This will also help us see if any extractions are needed.

Scaling and Polishing: We use state of the art equipment like ultrasonic scaler, hand scalers, and polishers to clean your pet’s teeth and remove all the plaque and calculus. We also smooth out any scratches to the enamel by applying a special paste and enamel sealant so that the buildup of plaque can be greatly reduced in the future.

Home Care: We help you understand the steps you need to take on a regular basis to maintain your pet’s oral health. We will recommend products that are especially formulated for cats to clean their teeth in a safe way. Help your pet live a long and healthy life by keeping maintaining their oral hygiene.