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Dentistry

It is our mission to prevent dental problems in all pets before they cause pain, discomfort, or internal disease.

Why is dentistry important?

From routine teeth cleaning and dental x-rays to oral surgery and root canals, our emphasis is always to prevent and minimize pain, tooth loss, and internal organ disease(ie. kidney, liver, heart disease) for your pet.

Studies have routinely shown that dental problems are present in over 80% of dogs 2 years of age and older and 68% of cats over 3 years of age. However, some pets show signs even earlier (especially small breed dogs and puppies).

Why choose West Towne Veterinary Center?

At West Towne Veterinary Center we practice comprehensive dentistry for pets as part of our core prevention philosophy.

Yearly anesthetized dental exams, cleanings and dental radiographs (x-rays) are the best way to accomplish this and is the recommendation of the AAHA Dental Guidelines based on information provided by board-certified veterinary dentists. View our 12-step comprehensive dental cleaning protocol.

We will discuss anesthetic safety, pain relief and exam findings to ensure that we can together make the appropriate decisions regarding your pet’s dental health. We offer all options to try and save the affected teeth if possible.

We will provide you with a practical dental home care plan that is tailored to your family and with a goal of extending the time between dental visits. We offer a complimentary follow-up consultation 2 weeks after your pet’s teeth cleaning to ensure the home care plan is effective for everyone.

“National Pet Dental Health Month in February is one of our favorite months. We celebrate with preventative dental care because we love keeping our pets’ mouths healthy!” – Dr. Ken Lambrecht, DVM

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Dentistry at WTVC

From routine teeth cleaning and dental x-rays to oral surgery and root canals, our emphasis is always to prevent and minimize pain, tooth loss, and internal organ disease (ie. kidney, liver, heart disease) for your pet.

APPOINTMENT

Sometimes, keeping your pet's chompers healthy can feel like a big job. Luckily, our practice provides advanced veterinary dentistry services in addition to basic dental care.

This includes routine care such as cleaning, along with treating more complicated conditions. Because our pets don’t brush their teeth every night before bed as we do, tartar can firmly adhere to their teeth.

In order to remove this tartar, we perform dental scaling, our most basic dental procedure. During the scaling process, our practice uses sonic and ultrasonic power scalers as well as handheld instruments to remove this tartar from the surface of the teeth both above and below the gum line.

Tooth extraction is another very common procedure. Our goal is for your pet to retain as many teeth as possible. However, sometimes an extraction is the only option to relieve pain or ensure that periodontal disease does not advance. If not extracted, a diseased tooth can compromise the surrounding tissue and neighboring teeth. If caught early, there are more treatment options available for periodontal disease.

Our practice requires anesthesia for dental procedures. Because of this, we first perform a full physical exam and sometimes run blood tests. Inside the mouth, we utilize anesthetic gel and local anesthetic injections to reduce pain. We closely monitor your pet the entire time they receive anesthesia.

We keep an eye on oxygen saturation and carbon dioxide levels in their blood along with their blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature. In order to help maintain the health of your pet’s mouth and teeth, you should bring your pet in for a dental check-up once a year. During these routine exams, our practice includes a general dental exam as well as teeth and gum cleaning if needed.

Catching dental problems in the early stages can greatly help your pet in the long run. Contact us right away if your pet experiences any of the following:

  • Chronic bad breath
  • Your pet shies away when you try to touch their mouth area
  • Excessive drooling
  • Dropping food when eating
  • Bleeding in your pet’s mouth
  • Loss of appetite or weight loss
  • Yellowish-brown crust of tartar around the gum line
  • Missing, loose or broken teeth
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