46-48 Pollen Street, Grey Lynn, Auckland
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Dental Hygiene

Pets are an important part of our lives for many years. Good dental care is essential to extend your cat's life span and assure good quality of life. Just like you, your pet needs to receive daily dental care at home. It is best to begin home care when your kitten is between 8 and 12 weeks; however, it is never too late. If your cat has any accumulated tartar, it must be removed ultrasonically at the centre. This process, calle dental-x-ray-2 d a prophylaxis, will allow you to start your home care with teeth that are free of plaque and tartar, making your efforts easier and more effective.

To discuss home dental care that will work for you and your cat please come and discuss the options available.

Veterinary Dentistry: How and why

Our Procedures and their Benefits

Dentistry in veterinary clinics has come a long way. Up until quite recently, there was little in the way of preventative home care which vets could offer clients. Dental treatments were performed infrequently, usually with an "ambulance at the bottom of the cliff" approach. The most that pets could expect would be to have their teeth scraped or pulled, often with little pain relief. Other options for the treatment or preservation of their teeth were not available. However in modern veterinary practice you have every right to expect a pet dental service no less than (and possibly better than!) that which you receive for your own teeth.

Provision of such a high standard of care is unfortunately not cheap. The following is a description of the standard of care at Ponsonby Veterinary Centre.

CAREFUL ANAESTHESIA

A Veterinarian always examines your pet at admission and checks his or her heart, lungs, and general condition. The anaesthetic does not proceed if problems are identified.
Preanaesthetic blood testing of important organs such as the liver and kidney is often performed using a sophisiticated in--clinic laboratory machine .This is an extra cost but we aim to prevent any possible complications.
Combination premeds (ie. Sedative combinations) reduce the dose of anaesthetic needed to make cats and dogs deep enough to operate on, smoothing induction/recovery and reducing risk.
Anaesthetics do not provide much pain relief; so it needs to be added to the premed. Avoiding pain relief before or after dentistry makes the procedure cheaper - we will not do this.
When we come to give the anaesthetic we use one with minimal effects on the heart, brain and kidney (critical organs for anaesthetic safety). The safest anesthetics are not always the cheapest.
Local anaesthetic is placed before any oral surgery or tooth extractions are performed.
We give the anaesthetic through a catheter which has been inserted into a vein on the pets' arm. This means we can give emergency drugs if something goes wrong during the operation. It also allows us to give fluids during surgery. Not placing a catheter would allow us to make the procedure cheaper - we will not do this.

PROFESSIONAL DENTAL ASSESSMENT

Once anaesthetised the pet is transferred to a dedicated operating theatre. The vet and nurse wear complete protective scrubs (mask, gloves and face shield.)
First your pets teeth are assessed and a dental chart is prepared, showing such details as depth of gum recession, absence of teeth, broken teeth and periodontal disease.
Teeth which are broken, discoloured, have gum recession or cavities are usually examined further using a dental xray.
Once assessed healthy teeth are cleaned and polished. We use a non-traumatic ultrasonic scaler and polisher.

Diseased teeth may be treated in a number of ways:

They may require application of fluoride in the case of mild cavities in cats.
They may be given a root plane and scale if the roots are exposed but the tooth is fundamentally healthy.Pulp capping or root canal treatment may be performed if a tooth is broken but needs to be preserved.
Teeth in the wrong position can be relocated using orthodontic appliances.
Teeth which cannot be saved may be extracted. This may be performed using a bone/gum flap, a complicated procedure designed to ensure the tooth is removed completely while minimising oral trauma.

DEDICATED , DETAILED MONITORING

A nurse is wholly devoted to making sure that the anaesthetic is safe and smooth. She or he does this by frequently recording the pet's breathing rate, heart rate, blood oxygen %, and blood pressure utilising hospital-standard machines.
The blood pressure is particularly important to the liver and kidneys, we support this with intraveneous fluids.
The nurse can adjust anaesthetic depth and provide extra pain relief with morphine drips if necessary.It would be cheaper to have a nurse multitask, answering the telephone or watching two operations at the same time; however we feel that this would compromise your pets' safety.

POSTOPERATIVE CARE

After the dentistry, your pet is given further pain relief while he or she wakes up, and has some more to go home on. This ensures that no pain is suffered.
Antibiotics may be supplied to prevent postoperative bacterial infiltration of the bloodstream (in animals over 7 years of age) and to treat current infection in the periodontal pocket/bone.
When he or she is discharged, you will be given a detailed information sheet discussing what you need to do at home to help the recovery from surgery.

HOMECARE AND PREVENTION

Frequent brushing is very important, however not always practical. Other strategies which can be used are dental diets which prevent tartar buildup; oral gels which function as a "pet listerine"; and in the case of dogs chews and toys eg."Greenies".
We recommend that pets have a dental hygiene treatment every 6 months. This avoids the need for surgery and is performed by qualified and specially trained nurses, allowing a high standard of dentistry at a lower cost.
For an excellent printable home dental care sheet Click here.