As time goes on, the importance of dental health is being realized more and more in human medicine and as well, in the world of veterinary medicine. Going back to looking at the body as a whole, it only makes sense that if beloved furry family members have infected teeth, gum disease, or other oral problems or infections, the potential for those infections to create issues in other parts of the body (such as the heart, the kidneys, etc.) is there. Other things beside infection can go on in the mouth as well such as oral tumors, foreign bodies, misalignment of the teeth or extra teeth.

For this reason, we at Bristol County Veterinary Hospital believe in providing top of the line dental care to our clients. The mouth and the teeth will always be looked at in our wellness and diagnostic exams but if something is seen, a dental, or further dental imaging may be suggested.

It is important to note that if we suggest these procedures, we follow-through with the highest of standards. The reality of assessing teeth is that only 1/3 of the tooth can be seen below the gum line. Therefore, if there are mobile teeth, pockets, etc. abscesses can be missed in 2/3 of the tooth above that gumline. To make sure that these situations are not missed, as part of our dentals, we offer dental radiographs to radiograph all the roots of the teeth. In addition to that, we pride ourselves on being thorough with dental cleanings (cleaning below and above the gumline), extractions when needed, mass removals, and can even start your pet on a maintenance sealant program with products such as Oravet. If, at any time we think your pet’s dental procedure is too complicated for us to handle, or, if we feel your pet will be better suited with a root canal over an extraction, we will refer you to a boarded dentist who can perform these advanced procedures.

As one might imagine, dogs, cats or small exotic pets will not sit still for x-rays of their teeth or cleanings, etc. no matter what kind of bribe we may offer them. For this reason, all our dental procedures are performed under full anesthesia. It is important for full anesthesia to be done because intubation (protection of the airway under anesthesia), prevents secondary complications from dentals such as aspiration pneumonia, and, gives our certified staff the ability to monitor all the vitals of your pet during their procedure. We take anesthesia very serious at our clinic. We use a variety of drugs and dosages of both injectable and gas drugs to suit your pet’s individual needs and health status. This is called tailored anesthesia. In addition to this, there will always be a dedicated anesthesia tech, sometimes the doctor, doing nothing but monitoring your pet’s reactions under anesthesia (EKG, blood pressure, heart rate, CO2 output, respiratory effort, and temperature).