Pet Dentistry

By HEATHER GRIMSHAW

A growing number of pet owners are brushing their pets’ teeth – following veterinarian recommendations – and find that the practice yields more than fresh-smelling breath.

“Because he sleeps with me, I love the idea of a dog with fresh breath,” said Charlotte Pavek, who has brushed her pets’ teeth for 14 years.

Pavek thought her veterinarian was insane when he first suggested it but says the practice is more readily accepted today. “Instead of looking at me like I’m crazy, my friends say, ‘Oh, I wish I could do that.’ It’s like having kids,” she adds, “Whatever you do for your dogs is cool.”

Experts say tooth brushing, which takes a few minutes, boosts energy levels in dogs, cats, and ferrets. Some estimate that 75 percent of small pets have dental disease, which is associated with liver, kidney, and heart problems.

Pet-formulated toothpaste reduces tartar while brushing with human or pet-designed toothbrushes removes bile film—or bacteria—from teeth. If left unchecked, bacteria can become infected—signaled by foul odor—and circulates in the body through the blood stream, say veterinarians like Kate Knutson, who helped draft dental guidelines for the American Animal Hospital Association. Guidelines suggest professional cleanings, dental x-rays, pre-anesthesia blood work, and tooth mapping, she said.

Using human dentistry as a model, veterinarians see opportunities to provide better care. “Four-leggeds [sic] are basically two-leggeds with fur,” Knutson said. “If it works for people why wouldn’t it work for fur people?”

For Pavek and her two-year-old cocker spaniel Jean Luc, tooth brushing is a daily ritual. “I tell him, ‘ok, I’m going to brush your teeth now,’ and he jumps up on the ottoman,” she said. “He gets so excited. It’s like I’m giving him a steak bone.”

Poultry-flavored toothpaste may enhance the experience for Jean Luc, a tri-colored pooch that never balks at the brush. “It’s a tender time,” Pavek adds. “It’s a different type of attention. Any time you look your animal in the eye they love it.”

Clients report dramatic increases in pet energy after professional cleanings, which cost between $150 and $350 and include scaling and polishing, fluoride treatments, and extractions. Blood work and x-rays boost prices and can identify issues like Diabetes prior to anesthesia, which allows veterinarians to clean underneath the gum line. Cleanings also provide an opportunity to do oral and anal cancer screening and thorough ear examinations.

Introducing tooth brushing when pets are young is best but it is never too late to start on a clean mouth, say veterinarians. Gums that are sore from infection or abscesses beneath the gums can cause pain.

Knutson said she has never met an unwilling canine, “But if there’s anything wrong in the mouth they won’t like it,” she added.

The same is not always true for cats.

“I rarely recommend brushing a cat’s teeth,” said veterinarian Aubrey Lavizzo. “Even with kittens it’s next to impossible. It’s good in theory but cats generally get upset and it can lessen the relationship with owners.”

If cats do not warm to the idea, dental diets and treats may help reduce tartar, though veterinarians say nothing replaces brushing.

In order to uncover all dental disease, doctor should also use x-rays, said Knutson.

“Seventy percent of disease is not appreciated [recognized] until x-rays are taken,” she explained. “You look at the teeth and everything looks fine but there’s a big, huge, root abscess. It happens frequently.”

Maxie Vigil is a prime example of how looks can be deceiving. A 13-year-old miniature Schnauzer, Maxie frequently got compliments on his pearly whites, which owners Terry and Tom brushed regularly at their home.

“We thought we were doing so well,” said Terry. But when she noticed a persistent odor and took Maxie in to see her vet she learned that bacteria beneath the gums had caused decay. During five hours of surgery Maxie had 17 teeth pulled. “Now we know we should have been taking him in for professional cleanings,” she said.

Knutson, who recognizes the value of firsthand experience, allows clients to watch professional cleanings. “The minute mom or dad sees me push on something [in the mouth] and pus comes out, he/she is committed to a tooth brushing routine.”