It is important to realize that your pet may never tell you when they are experiencing dental pain. In order to minimize these issues, we recommend starting out with a great dental health routine at home, and supplementing this with regular dental check-ups performed by a member of the Parker & Ace vet team.

You can also help facilitate good oral health by providing toys and treats formulated to help strengthen and/or clean your pet's teeth and gums.

Early signs of dental disease are usually masked and it can be very difficult to know if your pet has dental disease. Because of this, it can be very difficult for owners to know when their pet has dental disease or oral pain.
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The sooner we can assess your pet, and regularly monitor them, the better. Because, proactive treatment is likely to be most effective—and less costly–over time.
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The unfortunate reality is that significant periodontal disease affects most pets by age 4-5.
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For this reason, an important part of the physical exam is an oral exam. Some of the possible dental conditions which can affect your pet include:

• Bad breath or halitosis
• Tooth loss and broken teeth
• Mouth sores and ulcers
• Gingivitis
• Periodontal disease

Some people think that bad breath is a trait inherent to pets. This is a myth that pets themselves have contributed to over the years through behaviors including drinking from the toilet, eating feces, and self-grooming habits. However, these practices alone do not account for bad breath. Pet bad breath is generally a result of the bacteria that lives in the infected gum and dental tissue in your pet's mouth. 

This odor is a sign of progressive dental disease. It will not get better without a thorough veterinary dental cleaning and a proper home care plan.

The best way to prevent pet dental issues is to be proactive. Part of this process includes periodic teeth cleaning—based on the recommendation of your Parker & Ace vet team—but the other part requires vigilance on your part as the pet's owner. If your pet displays any of the following symptoms, you should schedule a veterinary appointment ASAP:

• Bad breath / halitosis
• Problems eating
• Loss of appetite (only in the most severe cases)
• Red, swollen, bleeding gums (usually the molars in the back of the mouth)
• Loose, broken, missing teeth
• Blood in saliva or nasal discharge
• Lesions in mouth

During an oral exam, your Parker & Ace veterinarian looks for any signs of abnormality or ill health.

Veterinarians are trained to spot many different symptoms, including:

• Overbite, underbite, malocclusion, teeth that don't fit together
• Gingivitis and periodontal disease
• Facial swelling
• Tartar buildup
• Fractured or broken teeth
• Cavities
• Abscesses

Our team of veterinary experts will assess your pet’s dental health and work with you to develop a customized plan of prevention or treatment for your pet based on what is found during the dental exam.

Dental care services provided at Parker & Ace begin with a visual examination (see: 'Your pet’s dental exam' above). If dental issues are found, we will explain the situation to you and recommend the appropriate dental procedure.

Periodontal disease is the most common clinical condition occurring in adult dogs and cats. By three years of age, most pets have some evidence of periodontal disease. If left untreated, periodontal disease will lead to infected, non-viable teeth and significant dental pain.
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Unfortunately, other than bad breath, there are few signs of periodontal disease that are evident to pet owners, which is why a thorough oral exam is included with every wellness examination at Parker & Ace. 

The good news is that periodontal disease in pets is fully preventable. The way to successfully do so is to schedule regular wellness visits and adhere to home care recommendations.