I was originally going to write about the types of pathology I see in a pets mouth, simply because we perform a thorough oral examination and full mouth dental radiographs for many years. You know, the weirdo teetho thing, which is what this post is all about.
There is a wonderful list that includes teeth with 3 roots that would ordinarily have 2, the extra teeth, the buried teeth, the cysts because of impacted teeth, the teeth with roots that decide to curve at 90 degrees.
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| From a cat. |
I have so many xrays and photos from so many pets over the years. So many pets with such weird stuff in their mouth, not just the brown stuff on the teeth which pet owners all over the world associate with bad teeth (and by default, white teeth must be healthy.. not necessarily).
Those conditions can be written in as rare, but only because the majority of vets are not looking for them.
We miss more for not looking, than not knowing, an old vet professor used to say when I was at uni.
Observe. ( he said)
So I have observed. I check the mouth of all of the pets I see. We start from their very first visit to us. We don't wait until disease starts to then start the dental care discussion.
We start when their teeth is healthy.
Why?
Because a normal, healthy mouth is actually rare. As rare as hens teeth.
The stats show 80% of pets 2 years of older will have some form of dental disease. Four pets out of five will have dental disease.
That means that a pet with a healthy mouth is rare.
The other way of wording this statistic is that 1 pet out of 5 will have a normal mouth.
When I was a much younger vet, it all went downhill from 3 years of age, but thanks to human meddling (aka breeding), it starts much younger.
The earliest stage of dental disease is gingivitis, which is the red line along the gum margin (I call it the lip liner look).
Flip your pet's lip, check them out - if there is anything other than normal pink in their mouth, any lip liner look along the gum, you need to see a vet, AND, your pet deserves an improved dental home care program.
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| NOT a healthy mouth, but the owner thought the dog WAS healthy. |
The pet who gets regular home and veterinary dental care - As rare as hens teeth.
I have many pets who do get regular home dental care, they come in for their dental checks when they need to (at least twice a year), and then get any veterinary health care that is needed, when its needed.
Regular home care involves daily brushing of the teeth, supported with the use of oral chews, diets, and gels.
Veterinary care involves regular dental checks, and if disease identified, then a thorough assessment and treatment under anaesthetic is done. (the COHAT)
Many pet owners knows that their pet needs dental care, but I don't understand why that then translates to "my pet needs more bones". No, they don't need more bones - they need a decent dental check, and, more likely that not, a proper COHAT with an experienced dental vet.
But all that I have written above is rare. For those who do the right thing, I know it is a concept that may be hard for you to understand. It isn't that these pet owners do not care, but they do not care enough to make it a priority for their pet.
My pet needs a dental specialist? No problem.
A pet owner said to me the other day that she loved that we always looked after the pet's welfare first and foremost. That we always referred to others when needed.
I love dentistry. I love being able to remove pain from a pet's mouth in just an hour or three of work. The difference I can make just by reducing the bacterial loading through their blood stream just by removing abscessed teeth and performing a thorough oral examinaton.
There are times, though, that despite the skill I know I have, the pet would be better served by attending a dental specialist. They do exist, believe it or not. As a member of the Australian Veterinary Dental Society, I know a few of these dental specialists very well.
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| Dr Christine from Sydney Pet Dentistry with Indi. |
Referral to a specialist is not a failure in me as a vet, but a genuine understanding of what I am capable off compared to the needs of the pet in front of me, with the knowledge of what is possible if all of the stars align.
Sometimes the stars do not align - the owners resources do not allow the "if money was no object, what should be done" test. Actually, it is most times.
Hence, why this falls into the hens teeth category.
I am Dr Liz, the mad vet from Bellambi. I am sorry if you expected gruesome photos of dental diseases.Those sorts of things tend ot excite fellow veterinary dentists rather than pet owners, unless your pet has been identified with some of the weird teeth things that we see.
Come in, say G'day, and ask us to flip your pet's lip this dental month.
