Studies show that 60-80% of all pets over the age of three years has periodontal disease and need dental care. Dental disease in pets causes many problems such as: bad breath, infections spreading to internal organs (liver, kidney, and heart), mouth and gum pain, and loss of teeth.

At Hunting Ridge Animal Hospital we offer a variety of dental services to help keep your pets teeth healthy. During your pets yearly examination it may be determined that they have plaque and tartar which will require a dental cleaning. Routine dentistry involves prophylaxis (ultrasonic cleaning), polishing, and Oravet (a product to help strengthen teeth and build resistance to new tartar).

Dental prophylaxis is performed while your pet is under general anesthesia. Like all procedures being performed with anesthesia your pet will receive pre-surgical blood work prior to the dental to help ensure your pets safety. Dental prophylaxis involves cleaning the surface of each tooth and scaling below the gum line, where food, bacteria, and tartar build up. The veterinarian also evaluates your pet's teeth for fractures, pockets under the gum line, and other abnormalities. Sometimes teeth need to be extracted so that they do not continue to cause your pet further health problems and pain. If necessary we are able to use dental x-rays in order to help us diagnosis problems that are not visible on the surface.