Dental disease in cats and dogs causes pain and discomfort and makes eating difficult. Besides these more obvious side effects dental disease in cats and dogs is very common and if left untreated can lead to severe issues such as heart disease and kidney failure.

Signs of dental disease include:

• Bad Breath
• Yellow/brown tartar on teeth
• Drooling
• Difficulty eating
• Pawing or rubbing at the mouth
• Loose teeth

The first step to help stop or slow down the progression of dental disease is to perform a scale and polish under general anaesthesia. With advanced dental disease, there may be teeth that need to be extracted. Problems usually start with the build-up of plaque on the teeth, which is a soft yellow deposit made up of bacteria, food particles and gum cells. Plaque eventually hardens to form tartar, which if not removed can lead to gingivitis – painful inflammation of the gums.

Animal Matters Veterinary Hospital has a state of the art dental surgery to ensure that your pet receives the best possible treatment.

Read more about why it is important to have your pets teeth checked.