Love Those Sloppy Kisses

Love Those Sloppy Kisses

Dental conditions are the source of some consternation for many clients. A gasp is often their first reaction, followed by the spoken or unspoken question “How did that get there?”

First off, you wouldn’t have known about the situation in your pet’s mouth because you don’t look in there. You’re not a bad pet owner; you’re just not accustomed to inspecting the molars of close friends. I look in the mouth of every dog and cat three separate times (left, right, center) when they’re standing on my exam room table, but I had to sneak a guilty peek into my own pet’s mouth just this minute. We would be more on top of things if we checked back there routinely.

Tartar and calculus are the medical terms for that brown junk accumulating on the tooth surface, but that stuff is really more bark than bite, so to speak. The real villain is the bacteria living between the gum and the tooth. There’s a crevice there, where they can hide and set up housekeeping undisturbed and unseen… then start having babies and wrecking the place. And these guys didn’t put down a security deposit. Given sufficient time, they’ll make their home more spacious by digging the crevice deeper, and that is called a periodontal pocket. Once the pocket gets deep enough, there’s no saving the tooth. In the meantime, your pet is suffering from discomfort, bad breath, and maybe nasty drainage around the tooth.

It’s all going on in the same mouth they use to kiss you. And those crevice dwellers can escape the dental scene if they dig deep enough, to luxurious destinations like the heart valve and kidney, where germs were never meant to set foot. What can we do about this? The gum line has to be cleaned out by a veterinarian. If you are going to someone who cracks or scrapes the brown stuff off your pet’s teeth, you are missing the point entirely. Your vet will address that critical periodontal space and its inhabitants by using special instruments to clean it out. That has to be done under general anesthesia. While we’re in there, we’ll get rid of the brown stuff, examine your pet’s mouth for any abnormalities such as oral tumors (very dangerous) and carefully remove any teeth that need to go. On occasion, we’re able to clear out even deep periodontal pockets and save a tooth that was headed for the trash can. It’s also a perfect opportunity to inspect the inside of the pet’s throat, which can’t be seen under any other conditions.

You are your pet’s best advocate. Ask specifically about the teeth at your next appointment, then keep an eye on them in between visits. The situation can get out of control faster than you think! Let’s make a pact. I’ll check inside my pet’s mouth more often if you will. And if you can’t get the job done because he’s being snotty, just drop by the clinic and I’ll look in there for you. Three separate times.

Dr. M.S. Regan