If you have noticed that your pet has smelly breath, isn’t chewing as before, is eating food slower, or just generally slowing down with no obvious cause, please bring in your pet for a dental check.

Just like people, dogs and cats have bacteria that live in their mouths. However unlike people, animals do not brush their teeth every day, so these bacteria produce plaque which builds up and forms a hard discoloured and smelly covering on the teeth called tartar (or calculus).

How Do Pet’s Teeth Get Infected?

The tartar gives the bacteria a place to grow, and allows them to infect the gum around the tooth causing redness, pain and swelling. If the infection is left it will invade the tooth roots and may even cause the tooth to fall out. As you can imagine this is incredibly painful for the animal.

Reducing Tartar Build Up

Ask your vet for tips about the proper way to care for teeth, such as brushing their teeth, feeding dental biscuits, offering dental sticks and toys that help clean the teeth through chewing.

Removing Tartar Is Essential

If you allow tartar to build up, it will need to be removed at the vets, as it will not go away or improve. We remove it by anaesthetising the animal and cleaning the teeth with an ultrasonic scaler, just like human dentists use. This removes the tartar, decreasing the risk of gum disease, making your pet feel better, and reducing the notorious smelly dog/cat breath.

Annual dental checks are important to discuss teeth problems, and decide on the best option for keeping your pet’s mouth healthy.