What Is Periodontal Disease? Periodontal Disease, otherwise known as Dental Disease is the most common disease of domestic pets affecting up to 80% of cats and dogs over the age of 3 years. Periodental Disease is a bacterial infection that destroys the tissues supporting the teeth in the mouth. The main cause of Periodontal Disease is plaque, a sticky film that forms on teeth, and unless it is cleaned away it builds up to form tartar. Tartar is a calcified buildup of plaque which harbours bacteria. The plaque or tartar pushes it's way under the gumline over a period of time. This destroys the sensitive oral tissues leading to inflammation of the gums(Gingivitis) and infection. The tissues supporting the tooth structure rot away, leaving the tooth unstable. The tooth evetually fractures or falls out. Untreated Periodontal Disease is painful and leads to chronic disease of other organs in the body such as the kidneys, heart and liver.
Can You Spot The Periodontal Disease? Notice in the photo on the right how the tartar has rotted away the gum and extended upwards towards the lip. Once the tartar/plaque is removed, these teeth will most likely be loose, ooze pus and probably fall out with the tartar! The teeth appear longer then normal, this is because the tartar has replaced the gum covering and is exposing the root of the tooth. This dog would be in a lot of pain. The one on the left has normal healthy teeth and gums. Periodental Disease Staging Periodontal Disease is always best prevented rather then treated. Note the redness of the gums in stage 1. There is already significant inflammation and infection present.
How Is It Treated? Even a Stage 1 and 2 Periodental Disease should to be treated by your Veterinarian, however, in some cases home treatment is possible. It is best treated by a vet because the dangerous plaque is not the plaque you can see on the teeth but the plaque that sits under the gumline, breaking down all the important tissues which hold the tooth together. The vet will need to clean under the gumline to ensure all the infection has been removed. Sometimes antibiotics will be required. A stage 4 Periodontal Disease is serious and needs prompt attention. Stage 4 is not only very painful but irreversible and will lead to tooth loss. It also causes other infections throughout the body, damaging liver, kidneys and heart. The vet will need to thoroughly check your pet including blood and urine tests to determine the level of damage that your pets' organs have suffered. Before And After Scaling(Cleaning) The plaque has been cleaned from under the gumline and the inflammation of the gums will disappear in a few days. How Is It Prevented? As with any disease, prevention is better then cure. These days there are many ways in which we can prevent Periodontal Disease in our pets. See the table below for a summary Prevention Choices You should consider using at least 3 of these prevention choices in combination. For a complete range of our oral care products click here Why Should I Treat And Prevent Periodental Disease? As a practicing Veterinarian, I would often hear my clients say..."but he doesn't seem to be in any pain and he's still eating" Have you ever had a tooth ache? The "tooth ache" is the number one emergency that human dentists attend to. Now imagine not just one tooth ache but 42(dog), 32(cat) tooth aches! No wonder he's "Grumpy". But he's still eating right? He doesn't really have a choice, it's eat or die of starvation. Pain is over ridden by the need to eat to survive. Just imagine what kind of existance this would be for your pet, and the worst part, is he can't tell ANYONE how he's feeling. Believe me....it's a painful condition which is often overlooked as unimportant by pet owners and leads to an early death through organ failure. Not to mention the poor quality of life they have in the meantime. August is dental awareness month and is an excellent time to get educated about dental care in your pets.
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