Your pet’s world revolves around its mouth, and that makes dental care vital to his or her overall health and longevity. In this way, they are just like people. The fact is that most pets over three already have some signs of periodontal (dental) disease.
Unfortunately, many pet parents don’t pay attention to their pet’s mouth until they’re forced to do so by terrible doggy breath, a pet that has trouble eating, or obviously feels unwell. At that point, a lot of teeth and gum damage has probably already occurred, requiring extensive cleaning, extractions, and or oral surgery to fix. If the periodontal disease is very advanced, bacteria may have already spread to internal organs, causing serious illness and perhaps even shortening the life of your pet.
The way to avoid all this is with regular dental care including at-home brushing if possible, dental exams, and annual dental cleanings. At Hayward Veterinary Hospital , we offer comprehensive dental services for pets including oral surgery, and can show you ways to keep their teeth and mouth healthy for a lifetime!
Per guidelines from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AHAA) we do only anesthetic dental cleanings. Our procedures are accompanied by complete physicals, lab work, X-rays, and anesthesia to ensure the best outcome for your pet.
While non-anesthetic cleanings are becoming a popular option, but we cannot recommend them because in addition to being extremely stressful for pets, they do not allow for scaling under the gum line where the majority of plaque and tartar build up.
If you’d like to schedule your pet for a dental exam or cleaning, you can give us a call at 510-200-7280.