Pet Dental Care

We believe in regular pet dental care at Friendship Animal Hospital. Having healthy teeth and gums will bring your pet a higher quality of life and prevent potential health problems. To further understand pet dental care and pet teeth cleaning, our staff in Pineville has outlined some of the benefits that regular pet dental maintenance brings.

Benefits of Pet Dental Care

In order to maintain a high level of overall health for your pet, it is important to have your pet’s teeth examined and cleaned regularly. Not only does this allow our veterinary staff to examine your pet’s mouth for any potential broken teeth or injuries, but it gives the veterinarian a chance to examine any potential diseases before they become a major concern.

Broken or diseased teeth are a perfect site for dangerous bacteria to enter your pet’s bloodstream. These bacteria can lead to potentially fatal diseases that can impact your pet’s vital organs. Gingivitis, the most common and prevalent disease in mouths, can quickly spread out of control leading to tooth loss and decay.

Visiting your veterinarian regularly for cleanings can help prevent this disease and can even reverse gingivitis damage.

How a Veterinarian Can Help

A veterinarian is able to get into your pet’s mouth and examine the teeth and gums. Your veterinarian will be able to x-ray and examine all of your pet’s teeth and determine if they are diseased or damaged. If the tooth is compromised, a veterinarian is able to extract the tooth before the disease can spread to other teeth in the mouth. Additionally, a veterinarian is able to determine the overall health of your pet by looking at the teeth and gums. Many diseases can manifest themselves in the mouth first and can be an indicator of overall health. Following your pet’s dental exam, your veterinarian will be able to offer suggestions for keeping your pet’s teeth clean between office visits. Often this can be additives to your pet’s food or water, or textured chews to help clean around the teeth. We perform a full set of dental X-rays on every patient undergoing a dental prophylactic cleaning.

What to Expect

Your pet will have to undergo light anesthesia for the health and safety of both your pet and the veterinarian. The procedure itself is quick and painless. Your veterinarian probably will not know if a tooth will have to be extracted until they are performing the cleaning. Expect your pet to receive an antibiotic following the cleaning as a preventative against infection. Your veterinarian may prescribe a slightly different diet following the cleaning to accommodate for sore teeth and gums.

The team at Friendship Animal Hospital cares about your pets as if they were our own. Our professional and knowledgeable team is eager to care for your pet and help them live a healthy and happy life. Pet dental care is a key part of being healthy and can help prevent many other serious health concerns. Our office is located at 304 S. Polk Street, Pineville NC, 28134. To learn more about our services, or to schedule a dental cleaning, call us today at 704-889-7387 (PETS). We perform a full set of dental X-rays on every patient undergoing a dental prophylactic cleaning.