Episode 8: Pet Dental Disease – Care and Maintenance

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Episode 8 is all about KEEPING YOUR PETS TEETH CLEAN

A continuation of Dr. Gaston’s look at nutritional deficiencies and dietary supplementation. In this episode Dr. Gaston explains the apparent contradictions between many nutritional studies which lead to so much confusion over whether supplements are good or bad. He also presents some examples of examples of nutritional deficiency to help change our perspective on what a real-world nutrient deficiency looks like.

 

 

• A healthy mouth is important for overall health … and more pleasant when your pet doesn’t have bad breath

• Chronic inflammation from gingivitis and periodontal disease is detrimental to health of people and animals
  • Chronic inflammation can affect many areas of the body
  • Bacteria entering the circulation through inflamed gum tissue can adversely affect heart valves, kidneys, liver, etc.

• Plaque:
  • Many bacteria in the mouth
  • Bacteria and saliva form a slick coating (‘biofilm’) on the surface of the enamel
  • On a clean tooth surface, plaque begins accumulating in less than 30 minutes

 

• Tartar:
  • Mineral from saliva incorporated into biofilm of plaque
  • Tightly bound to enamel surface
  • Process begins within 48 hours

 

• Gingivitis

 

• Periodontitis

• Heavy accumulation of tartar, red inflamed gums
• Loss of periodontal ligament, alveolar bone, and receding gumline

• Controlling plaque and tartar
  • Self-cleaning architecture of dog and cat teeth diminish plaque and tartar accumulation
  • Processed pet foods contribute to plaque and tartar accumulation
    • Canned – soft consistency
    • Dry kibble-type foods – brittle
• Fibrous/abrasive food stuffs assist in self-cleaning action
  • Scrub surface of tooth to gum line
  • Bones, turkey necks, chicken necks
  • Vegetables – carrots, celery, broccoli stems
• Other factors influencing gum health
  • Oral Flora
  • pH
  • Raw diet
  • Unknowns and inconsistent results
• Size of dogs

• Brushing
  • Brush
    • Manual
    • Motorized spin brush
    • Dentifrice
      • No Xylitol
      • No Flouride

• Hand scaling

• General anesthesia with ultrasonic scaling and polishing
  • Thorough scaling and examination
  • Extractions and radiographs as needed
  • Examination and evaluation of health or specific concerns that may affect safety of anesthesia
  • Pre-anesthetic blood work
  • Age limitations?