Dental Care

Dental Care

Your pet won’t complain when her teeth are infected and causing pain. She will still eat, and suffer, in silence.

The Veterinary Dental Society reports that 80% of dogs and 70% of cats over the age of three suffer from dental disease. Oral disease is the most common and most preventable disease found in our furry children, and prevention can add 3 to 5 years to a pet’s life! That’s because dental disease manifests in more ways than just dirty teeth and bad breath. It can cause severe health complications to major internal organs, including heart disease, organ damage and septicemia. You can prevent dental disease in your pet with routine dental care at home and with professional dental cleanings at Bear Valley Veterinary Care Center.

Why do pets need professional dental cleanings at Bear Valley Veterinary Care Center?

Most pets get very little—if any—dental care at home. Some very diligent pet owners brush their pets’ teeth daily, but this is not the norm. Plus, as you know, even humans who brush and floss daily and who have regular dental cleanings still develop gum disease, cavities and a variety of other oral health issues. When a pet’s mouth is left untreated, often for years, the degree of disease is usually significant and requires more than a quick ultrasonic scaling.

Pets never willingly open their mouths for thorough evaluations, X-rays or cleanings, so anesthesia is necessary for proper dental care. Anesthesia should never be taken lightly, as there can be serious risks involved depending on the age and general health of the pet. To minimize these risks, Bear Valley Veterinary Care Center prioritizes anesthesia safety by following high veterinary standards for reducing anesthesia risks. These steps include administering IV catheters and IV fluid therapy, monitoring pets constantly before, during and after anesthesia, delivering oxygen and conducting preanesthetic lab work to ensure vital organs can metabolize anesthetics. Eliminating any one of these steps significantly increases the risk of anesthetic complications including organ failure, aspiration pneumonia, brain damage and even death. Your pet and your devotion to their health is our highest priority, so we take all of these steps whenever any pet goes under anesthesia.

Professional Pet Dental Cleanings at Bear Valley Veterinary Care Center

Dental cleanings at Bear Valley Veterinary Care Center all include:

  1. Oral examination while pet is awake
  2. Oral examination under anesthesia
  3. Removal of plaque and tartar
  4. Subgingival scaling (below the gumline)
  5. Polishing
  6. Irrigation
  7. Fluoride treatment
  8. Dental X-rays
  9. Charting (recording all findings for every single tooth)
  10. Therapy for any problems noted
  11. Develop at-home care plan
  12. Regular follow-up visits—one cleaning does not prevent future dental disease!

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Schedule an appointment for pet dental care at Bear Valley Veterinary Care Center.