Animal Medical Clinic

Last updated 2/10

February is Dental Awareness Month!

Facts about Gingivitis and Periodontal Disease

Periodontal disease is a disease of the tissues that support the teeth in the mouth (the gums). It occurs when the body's immune system cannot clear the mouth of the bacteria and toxins, which are constantly forming on the teeth in the form of plaque.

If plaque is not removed, it will eventually accumulate and harden into dental calculus (or tartar). Calculus can become hard and yellow brownish covering over the crown of the tooth. Calculus can also cover the gum so that the plaque beneath the gum-line cannot be cleaned. The plaque beneath the gum-line is the real cause of periodontal disease.

As the plaque accumulates and the bacteria multiply, the pockets around each tooth become deeper and more painful for you pet. An early sign of this stage is a swelling and reddening at the gum-line of each tooth. If you touch this area, your pet may shy away and the gum may bleed. This is gingivitis. Gingivitis is a reversible inflammation of the gums. If teeth and gums are cleaned now, the mouth can be "as good as new." However, if the pockets around the teeth are deep enough to infect the bone supporting the teeth and cause the gums to infect the bone supporting the teeth, irreversible changes have occurred in the mouth. This is periodontal disease. Periodontal disease can only be arrested. The damage it has caused cannot be completely reversed.

Eventually the pockets become deeper, the bone is eroded and lost, and the bacteria and toxins get into the bloodstream and cause widespread systemic disease. Some veterinarians feel that a lot of diseases in older animals are directly related to their constant low-grade periodontal infections. A pet with periodontal disease is circulating bacteria and toxins throughout its body, which can result in liver, kidney, and heart disease.

Dental Radiographs… Why are they Important?

Dental x-rays, or radiographs, have greatly enhanced the way we, as veterinarians, practice veterinary dentistry. So much of dental disease, such as periodontal disease, tooth root abscesses, jaw fractures, tumors, etc., occurs below the gumline, that dental radiography is an absolute necessity to practice veterinary dentistry. Dental radiography allows for diagnosis of disease, planning for appropriate treatment and monitoring for treatment success.

Listed below are some of the reasons for taking dental x-rays:

Periodontal Disease: to view bone loss around tooth roots. When there is greater than 50% bone loss, these teeth should be extracted.
Broken Teeth: to look for signs of root tip infection.
Discolored Teeth: to look at pulp chamber and signs of root tip infection.
Suborbital (below the eye) swellings: to look for root tip infection or cystic teeth.
Resorptive lesions: helpful to decide if there are roots to be extracted or if periodontal disease is present.
Oral tumors: to look for bone involvement.
Pre and post tooth extraction: to be sure all roots are gone.
Missing Teeth: check to be sure they are truly missing, not just unerupted, and causing cyst formation below the gumline.

Photograph of missing premolar (Missing???)
Just not erupted!

Radiograph of missing premolar - not missing!

Feline Resorptive Lesions; What a Pain in the… Mouth!!

Resorptive lesions in cats are second only to periodontal disease in incidence of oral disease. They have only been recognized for about the last 40 years, with increasing frequency starting in the 70's. As of yet, we do not know why they occur, and there are many studies currently being performed to elucidate the cause. What we do know, is that they result from the activation of cells called odontoclasts. These cells are responsible for the normal remodeling of tooth structure. In this disease process, however, they will continue to resorb tooth structure until in some instances the entire tooth is lost. It has been reported that 60% of cats over 6 years of age have at least one, and those that have one usually have more.

Resorptive lesions tend to occur at and just below the gumline, however they may affect only the root structure. The teeth most commonly affected are the premolars, followed by the molars and finally the canines. The majority of the lesions are on the buccal surface (on the outside of the tooth, against the cheek), however you can also see them on the inside.

These lesions can be excruciatingly painful, especially when they are advanced. If you probe one of the lesions even under general anesthetic, the cat will react. However, most cats will not show evidence of oral pain, even when the tooth is fractured with an exposed root canal. Most commonly when we find these lesions we recommend extraction of the affected tooth. Depending on the remaining root structure, we will perform a crown amputation, or a surgical extraction. A crown amputation will be done when there is little to no root structure left, and the periodontal ligament is resorbed. A surgical extraction will be performed if there is significant root structure remaining.

Radiograph and photograph of feline Resorptive lesion. On the radiograph the 3rd premolar appears fuzzy and indistinct. On visual exam of the tooth, the gingiva is red and painful looking, and part of the crown is missing. Because of the lack of root structure on the radiograph, a crown amputation of this tooth would be performed.

What Are The Steps to a Routine Professional Dental Cleaning?

Have you wondered what happens behind the scenes when you leave your pet with us for a Professional Dental Cleaning? Have a look at our guide located on our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page. To visit, click here.

Preventative Dental Care

Of course, as Benjamin Franklin once said, "An once of prevention, is worth a pound of cure."

This holds true for home dental care. The gold standard for home dental care for pets would be brushing your pet's teeth twice a day. However, brushing your pets teeth 2 - 3 times a week can help prevent calculus, and slow down the process of periodontal disease. If routine brushing is not possible, there are a variety of products, from Hill's Science t/d, a food which helps scrape tartar off of teeth as your pet chews, to dental wipes and water additives.

For more information on what you can do at home to help with your pet's dental care, please visit, AAHA Dental Care Guidelines at www. healthypet.com for more information.

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Speaking of faces, Animal Medical Clinic is now on Facebook! Click on the icon to visit Facebook and find us. Become a fan today for news, updates, and other fun information.

Dental Suite Updates!

Our new Dental Suite is coming along great. The main construction is done. The new cabinets and tables are here and are being installed. The lights are up and working well. Everything is moving full speed ahead and looking good.

The dental suite will contain state of the art equipment to better serve our patients and their dental needs. There will be 3 stations for dental cleaning and surgery, another station for minor surgical procedures, two dental radiology units, and a full range of equipment needed to provide the highest quality in dental care. There is even a separate client entrance and reception area for patients having dental procedures.

Our vision at Animal Medical Clinic is to be the leading veterinary practice in Brevard county, providing top quality service and the best in medical and dental care for your pet. Our skilled Certified Veterinary technicians and our talented doctors with a special interest in dentistry will be staffing the dental suite.

Here is picture of the new work area behind the scenes of the dental suite. It is still a work in progress, but we are seeing our dental suite take shape. We hope to have this new addition operational by this month for Dental Awareness Month! Stay tuned for further updates!