Dental Intervention - when is the right time?

"Dental Intervention? Isn't that
called a toothbrush?" says Dr Doc.
"Uh, no!"

Do you watch the Intervention shows on TV? To be honest, I don't, but I get the gist of what they do. These family members see that there is a problem, and "intervene" to help. Understandably, it is confronting for all parties.

But we are talking about dental disease in our pets - the most common single disease that is under treated.  I am not sure about Australian stats, but US stats are pretty clear - and pretty consistent - 85% of cats and 70% of dogs older than 3 years of age have dental disease which needs to be treated.  Yet only a tiny percentage of our pets get the treatment they deserve.  And as a side note, interestingly enough, the dental disease seen in cats starts at a much younger age.

Before you get to flip your pet's lip, I want you to think about what level of dental disease is it considered the right point to intervene? That is, once you look in your pet's mouth, what would be the level of disease that would get you to pick the phone up and call your vet and book your pet in.

 Before you give me the answer, you need to know what grades of disease there are?

I agree with you... the later stages are pretty horrible.  The later stages of 3 and 4, the pet goes home after a dental procedure with many teeth in a plastic bag... seriously.  That is horrible, and whilst it isn't totally preventable, the speed at which this type of disease develops can be slowed down.

It is at this point, I want you look at these pictures, and think about what stage of disease we should intervene, if these were photos of a pet in front of you.  Is it at Stage 3 disease, where there is some bone loss, and bad breath, and the damage is irreversible, but manageable?

Is it at Stage 2?  Is this the point where your pet should have the professional cleaning at the veterinary hospital?

 Did you know that teeth can go from being visibly normal to 

Stage 2 disease in as little as 3 months, if there is no active home dental care?  

The right stage of intervention is, and this should be no surprise to you, is Stage 1 - the earliest stage, where any treatment done, on a regular basis, is able to reverse existing dental disease.

Now, look into your own pet's mouth, and be honest with yourself.  What do you think it looks like?  And then what are you going to do about it.

Free pet dental checks are available all year round at Russell Vale Animal Clinic, so call us now on 42845988 or book online.

Call us now, as we would love to see you all.