Most pet owners understand the importance of regular vet visits and general health and wellness. However, there’s one aspect of your pet’s health that you might be overlooking: their dental care. Taking care of your dog or cat’s teeth is essential to ensuring their overall health. You can get specially designed dog and cat toothbrushes and toothpaste, and train your pet to sit for the brushing session with healthy and hygienic treats. You can also ask us to evaluate the oral health of your pet periodically. Here are some of the reasons why these pet dental care activities are so important.

4 Top Reasons to Pay More Attention to Pet Dental Care

1. Prevents Periodontal Disease

You probably brush your teeth and get dental check-ups regularly in order to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. Those same threats can also be applicable to your dog or cat. Brushing their teeth reduces plaque buildup and helps to prevent oral health issues that could cause pain or loss of teeth. Regular dental checkups can also help reveal issues that might be potentially painful for your pet, since they aren’t otherwise able to communicate that pain with you.

2. Prevents the Spread of Other Diseases

Issues that start in your dog or cat’s mouth can eventually spread to other organs or parts of the body. That plaque or bacteria can move around, eventually causing other health concerns that are likely to be far more costly than a simple toothbrush and toothpaste or a checkup at our veterinary clinic.

3. Improves Breath

If you’ve ever had a dog or cat breathe in your face, you know it’s not normally a pleasant smell. However, much of that is due to poor oral health practices. If you brush your pet’s teeth and care for their oral health regularly, their breath is likely to improve drastically, making life better for them, you, and anyone else who interacts closely with your pet.

4. Improve Your Pet’s Well-being

We are often very surprised to find out how much pathology is actually occurring inside a pet’s mouth during a dental procedure. Pets rarely demonstrate any symptoms to suggest that their teeth are uncomfortable. Loose teeth, deep pockets, broken teeth, exposed pulp canals, and sensitive resorptive lesions are very commonly found when a critter is sedated and evaluated, during what was thought to be just a simple dental cleaning. After revealing and treating these uncomfortable conditions, pet parents inevitably report later (in hindsight) that their pet actually is feeling so much better. The odor is gone, they are playing with their toys like they used to, they have more energy, and they feel like their old selves again. Many times, pet parents then feel guilty about not knowing all this was going on — but don’t! Dogs and cats are extremely capable of hiding these subtle signs of discomfort such that even veterinary professionals may not recognize it until after the fact. Instead, there is great relief that we have all stepped in to find and treat your pet’s underlying, sneaky dental issues.

If you’re interested in learning more about pet dental care or scheduling a checkup with a veterinarian, contact Pet Center Ltd. in Columbia, MO. The professional and informative team takes pride in providing personalized care to every animal and their family. In business for more than 30 years, the veterinary clinic offers a variety of services, so you can take care of all your pet’s health needs in one convenient location. Call (573) 445-3000 or contact the team online to learn more.