Dental services are not just limited to humans, our animals’ oral health is equally as important and as a matter of course, our pets should receive dental health check-ups from their local veterinary dentist. The SS Dental group are here to provide top quality dental and engineering services, to all dentists across Cornwall, Devon and Somerset albeit, for man or furry friends. The SS Dental group’s headquarters is situated in Plymouth, Devon and between them, the team have a range of animals as pets, from dogs and cats to ferrets and horses – so, we know how important animal dental care is!
The importance of animal teeth
Like humans, dogs have a variety of teeth that are specifically suited to a role during the eating process and they require regular check-ups from animal dentists to ensure they are performing optimally and maintaining good oral and physical health. These teeth include: the incisors, canines, pre-molars and molars. For example, the incisors, at the front of the mouth are used to scrape food, such as the meat off a bone. Next to the incisors, are the canines – these long and pointed teeth are well suited for tearing at meat and pulling it to shreds. Pre-molars are found at the side of the mouth and are used for the chewing of food and last but not least, at the back are the molars. Molars are used to break and grind hard food, such as kibble. Collectively, these teeth work together to ensure that your pet is able to effectively eat their meal. Despite this, the huge Malamute in the SSD family doesn’t appear to need teeth – in fact, he just swallows his food whole!!
Dental health is important for all of our animals and to guarantee that your pets will always receive only the best oral health care provision from their dentist, we provide those veterinary practices with top-quality dental equipment and dental services.
Why do you need to look after your animals dental health?
There are various reasons why your animal’s dental health is important and you should take them to your local veterinary dentist for an oral health check up, not least because they need to eat. If your pet has dental problems, it may impact on their eating behaviours and lead to loss of appetite, impaired ability to eat and subsequently weight-loss. In addition, like humans, dogs lose their baby teeth, but sometimes they become retained and will need to be removed by the veterinary dentist before the situation manifests as an oral disease. Dental disease is common in both dogs and cats and if left untreated, may lead to permanent damage to your pet’s teeth, gums and even their jaw bones. Another important reason to use your veterinary dentist to check your animal’s oral health is to ensure that there are no abscesses present, an abscess is excrutiatingly painful – verified from a human perspective and a subsequent visit to the dentist! Tartar that sits below your pet’s gum line can lead to inflammation and infection, if infection occurs, it can travel into the root of the tooth and may eventually lead to a very painful abscess. If left untreated by the dentist, the pathology will become more advanced allowing the teeth to loosen and fall out. The consequences of serious dental disease, if not treated by a qualified dentist can be fatal.
Dental disease can often be avoided with a routine checkup by the local dentist, veterinary dentists are very experienced in their trade and will give your pet’s teeth a good examination, using high quality dental equipment, such as that supplied by the SSD Group; therefore, veterinary dentists will identify any dental issues that can be rectified during your pet’s oral health check up and ensure that your dog can go back to happily chomping on their bone, avoiding any irreversible dental conditions.