Your Top Choice for Veterinary Dentistry

Your pet’s dental health is a crucial, yet often overlooked aspect of their overall well-being. Just like humans, pets need regular dental care to ensure a healthy and happy life. 

During each of your pet’s routine preventive care exams, we’ll explore the signs of healthy teeth in pets and offer practical tips to help you maintain their dental hygiene. Healthy teeth are a reflection of your pet’s well-being. 

Here are some indicators of healthy teeth:

• Clean, white teeth
• Healthy gums
• No signs of inflammation 

If your pet is experiencing one or more of the following, please contact us immediately:

• Changes in eating habits or difficulty chewing: If your pet is experiencing dental discomfort, they may change their eating habits. Watch for signs like reluctance to eat, suddenly dropping food while eating, or chewing on one side of the mouth.
• Pawing at the face or mouth: Pets experiencing dental pain may paw at their face or mouth in an attempt to alleviate discomfort. This behavior might signal toothaches, gingivitis, infection, or other oral issues.
• Excessive drooling: While some breeds naturally drool more than others, sudden or excessive drooling could indicate oral discomfort. It might be due to gum disease, an oral infection, a dental abscess, or presence of a foreign body.
• Foul breath: Bad breath, or halitosis, can be caused by several problems but is often a sign of dental issues. If your pet’s breath is noticeably unpleasant, it might indicate dental problems like tartar buildup, gum disease, or oral infection.
• Behavioral changes or signs of discomfort: Pets (especially kitties) are good at hiding pain, but they may display subtle behavioral changes when they’re experiencing dental problems. Look for signs of irritability, restlessness, or avoidance behaviors, such as not wanting their face or mouth touched.
• Visible changes in teeth and gums: Watch for visible signs of trouble such as red or swollen gums, bleeding from the mouth, pus or drainage, discolored teeth, loose teeth, or visible tartar buildup.

Caring for your pet’s teeth:

At Danville Family Vet, we have a passion for and particular focus on veterinary dentistry and oral surgery. Our trained staff coordinates complete oral health assessments, full-mouth digital x-rays, periodontal treatments, oral surgery, and cleanings/prophylaxis all in one visit. 

We offer a range of services including:

• Dental cleaning for pets: We offer professional teeth-cleaning and polishing services to remove plaque and tartar buildup, which can help prevent further dental problems in the future.
• Pet tooth extractions: Sometimes, a tooth extraction is necessary to improve your pet’s oral health. Our expert staff can perform a tooth extraction safely and efficiently, with multi-modal pain management, ensuring your pet’s comfort throughout the process.
• Full-mouth digital dental x-rays: In conjunction with a comprehensive oral health exam, dental x-rays are the best and most important way to evaluate your pet’s dental health. Our x-ray technology allows us to detect any dental issues that may be present below the gumline–such as bone loss, fractured teeth, and pockets of infection–which may not be visible to the naked eye.
• Periodontal treatment: Periodontal disease is a common problem among pets which can lead to severe health issues, even beyond oral health concerns, if left untreated. Our periodontal treatment involves a deep cleaning and irrigation below the gumline to remove bacteria, plaque, and tartar buildup.
• Oral surgery: Our clinic is equipped with state-of-the-art surgical facilities, which allows us to perform a wide range of oral surgery. Our experienced staff can perform oral surgery safely and efficiently, ensuring that your pet’s oral health is restored as quickly as possible.

Our doctors use the safest anesthetic combinations available and multi-modal pain control to ensure your pet’s comfort during and after dental procedures. We can also provide guidance on selecting the right type of oral health care products to fit yours and your pet’s lifestyle. 

Our Pet Dental Home Care Recommendations

To keep your pet’s teeth and gums healthy, we recommend daily tooth brushing with an enzymatic, pet-specific toothpaste, and selecting oral health-friendly chews or toys. Additionally, we provide guidance on post-procedure dental care instructions for your pet. There are foods available that are proven to help clean your pet’s teeth every time they eat. Also, there are a number of different chews and preventive products that are proven to help with periodontal disease. When choosing an oral health product, be sure to look out for the VOHC Seal of approval. This means the product has been proven to be effective by the Veterinary Oral Health Council.

Learn more about post dental instructions for pets.

At Danville Family Vet, we understand the significance of maintaining your pet’s dental health. Contact us today to schedule a dental check-up and ensure your pet’s teeth and gums remain healthy and pain-free.

Our veterinarian fixed a broken tooth on a cat (Part 1)

Our veterinarian fixed a broken tooth on a cat (Part 2)

One of our clients had a big tooth extraction