At Your Pet Dentist, every month is Dental Health Month! Here is why we do not directly promote February as Dental Health Month Ask any veterinarian, veterinary staff member, or even long-time pet owners—the idea of preventative oral health care in veterinarian medicine was almost unheard of...
We live in a society where most of us have some form of health insurance coverage, while fewer have dental and vision coverage. Many employers give you basic health care and then you have to add on the broader coverage. Thankfully, this avoids catastrophic costs...
Oral tumors compose approximately 5-8% of all tumors in the dog and cat. That's a considerable number and the most difficult aspect of this large percentage is that most people do not spend time looking in their pet's mouth, so these masses grow unnoticed. Understanding Oral...
Puppies. We ALL love them, even when they have moments of being crazy little terrors! Right!? The joy that puppies can bring us seems to be unmatched at times. This is typically up until that moment they begin to get overly playful and those “shark teeth”...
We all work on a 12-month cycle. We see our family vet for a wellness evaluation once yearly. Our pet gets blood work at least annually, and we can't get our dog's heartworm medication refilled unless we have our annual heartworm check. And for the...
Proper dental care is essential for the overall health and well-being of our canine companions. While regular brushing at home is beneficial, it is equally important to have a dog's teeth professionally cleaned by a veterinarian or a veterinary dentist annually. Additionally, starting anesthetic dentistry at...
Recent studies indicate that 80% of dogs and cats have some form of periodontal disease by age 3. By definition, periodontal disease (PD) has 4 Stages. Stage 1 is defined as gingivitis (no bone loss); Stage 2 has <25% bone loss; Stage 3 has 26-50%...
Chronic Contact Mucositis/Stomatitis (formerly called CUPS) is an extremely painful disease process in dogs. While the exact etiology is not fully understood, research has shown that the body is reacting violently to plaque on a tooth, which triggers an exaggerated response of an immunoglobulin (IgG)....
A tooth fracture, regardless of being minor (dentin only) or severe (into the pulp cavity), can be discomforting to your pet. It is obvious that a broken tooth that enters the pulp cavity can be extremely painful. However, even when the dentin is only exposed,...
When I was in private practice, I used to see a lot of grass seed foreign bodies between the toes of dogs. These nasty seeds (aka foxtails) can migrate between the toes and cause significant pain and discomfort. Even worse, they don't migrate out but...