Dentistry

Your pet’s oral health is just as important as their other organ systems! Bacteria exist in the mouth as a normal healthy microbiome, but may accumulate on the teeth in large amounts as dental tartar. These layers of bacteria essentially form a hardy biofilm that is difficult to remove unless manually scaled in a dental cleaning procedure. These biofilms may further potentiate dental disease causing tooth decay, infection, mobility and eventual loss. That is why annual to biannual evaluation of the mouth and teeth is an essential part of every pet’s physical examination.

We recommend having your pet’s oral health evaluated every 6 to 12 months unless otherwise directed by your veterinarian.

Dental cleaning procedures and preventative maintenance are important to our team here at Glenwood Veterinary Clinic. Did you know only about 50% of dental disease is visible above the gumline? The rest of the tooth exists as root(s) beneath the gum line and may harbor infection or disease invisible to the naked eye. 

During a dental cleaning procedure, a preanesthetic exam is performed ensuring your pet is healthy for anesthesia that will be necessary to perform the dental cleaning and/or extractions. A partial baseline blood work panel is also performed to assist in evaluating preanesthetic health. There is an option to elect for the full baseline panel prior to anesthesia, which your veterinarian may recommend for senior/geriatric patients or patients with comorbidities such as cardiac, liver or kidney disease. After induction of anesthesia, your pet’s teeth will then be cleaned via scaling and polished. Dental xrays are then performed and are crucial for determining the full health of the mouth, allowing a glimpse at the crown, root and surround bone. Teeth that are mobile or show signs of disease may be elected for extractions, potentially in a series of staged future extractions if unable to perform at the time of the routine cleaning that day. Following cleaning, xrays and potential extractions the patient is recovered from anesthesia. Your pet may go home with medications pending the type of dental procedure performed.

We also offer dental discount months in February and November. For further information on scheduling a dental consultation exam, cleaning procedure or any questions please contact us at 970-945-5401!

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