Dental Disease is a serious and common problem for cats and dogs

Eighty percent or more of cats and dogs over the age of three years old have significant dental problems needing attention.  Dental disease is a progressive disorder that ALWAYS gets worse without intervention by your veterinarian.  With early treatment and regular dental care your pet, just like you, can have a healthy mouth for many years to come.
Patients with severe periodontal disease are at increased risk of systemic health problems as a result of large bacterial loads in their mouths spreading by the blood stream to other parts of their bodies.  Valvular heart disease and chronic renal failure have both been attributed to pets with severely infected mouths.

To better understand and prevent dental disease we need to first familarize ourselves with some basic facts about tooth anatomy.  The tooth consists of several parts.  The crown is the white part above the gum line.  It is covered by enamel.  The gingiva (gum) is tightly adhered to the crown with very little or no "pocket" or gingival sulcus.  Below the gum, the tooth is surrounded by alveolar bone and held in the tooth socket by cementum and the periodontal ligament. The first picture to the right is a schematic showing tooth parts, the next picture is dental radiograph with the tooth stuctures labeled.

Here is an example of a normal mouth.

The teeth are clean and there is no evidence of plaque or dental tartar.

Periodontal disease has 4 progressively worsening stages:

Grade 1 Early Gingivitis	--Redness of gingival margin with teeth --Plaque and calculus are starting to develop --Radiographically normal These problems are completely reversible with dental cleaning and preventive care.
Grade 2 Chronic gingivitis	--Inflammation of the gums is worsening --Plaque and calculus start developing --Edema (swelling of gums) appears --Radiograph still normal This pathologyis still reversible with treatment and preventive care.
Grade 3 Early Periodontitis	--Severe gingivitis develops --Pockets (between the gum and tooth) develop --Plaque and calculus above and below the gum worsens --Bone around the tooth starts to recede Pathology is now NON-REVESIBLE!  Problems can be managed with intensive home care and more frequent cleanings.
Grade 4 Advanced Periodontitis	--Deep pockets develop in gums --Gum recession is developing --Pus is often present --Easily recognizable bone loss --Teeth are often mobile This is also NON-REVERSIBLE Unfortunately many of these teeth cannot be saved and require extraction.