Every responsible pet owner understands the need for proper veterinary care provided by a licensed veterinarian. They also understand the need for watching their pet’s overall health and scheduling appointments as needed throughout the year. An oft overlooked aspect of pet health is dental care. A sore tooth can prevent a dog or cat from eating or exercising, and unlike when dealing with a person who has a toothache, pets are unable to describe the pain they feel.

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Why Dental Health Is Important for Pets

If you’ve ever had a toothache, a cavity which needed to drilled and repaired, a chipped tooth which required dentistry care, or even had wisdom teeth removed, you understand how painful dental problems can be. It hurts your pets just as much when they have dental issues which need to be properly addressed. Beyond the discomfort and pain your pets relies on you to help them with, there are more serious problems caused by an infected tooth.

Issues Veterinarians Look for During Dental Screenings

In general terms, a veterinarian will look in your pet’s mouth during her routine annual check-up. During this examination, the veterinarian is looking for any peculiarities, offset teeth, gum disease, or discoloration. What you might not realize is while looking, the veterinarian is also touching different parts of the pet’s mouth to see if she responds to discomfort or actual pain. That’s something you should be doing as well on a regular basis at home, checking not only that your pet’s teeth are in good shape, but making sure she doesn’t have any sore spots or pain in her jaw or teeth.

Common Dental Problems with Pets

Common dental problems with pets are two-fold. Immediate physical injuries include broken teeth or jaws, or strained muscles. Such injuries occur normally when a pet is playing, as they don’t always understand their limits when fetching, jumping, or biting at something. The second common dental problem is periodontal disease, caused by a lack of dental hygiene.

What We Can Do for Your Pet’s Teeth at Peninsula Animal Hospital

At Peninsula Animal Hospital of the Monterey area, CA, Dr. Aaron Cohen and Dr. Johanna Sherrill are fully aware of overall pet health needs and how dental issues can affect those needs. The rest of our staff is a dream team of people who love animals and are properly trained for every function you might expect an animal hospital to provide, both for the immediate needs of your pet and to allay any concerns you have for such a beloved friend. Give us a call at 831-649-0415 to make an appointment.

Here are some good links for ongoing dental care and products to consider for your pet:

Many dental pet products and diets are available at an excellent price from our online store. And these are veterinary pharmacy suppliers that we know and trust. Please go to the SHOP ONLINE tab, select VETS FIRST CHOICE or VETSOURCE (you can compare prices on both), then create an account (it’s easy!) and shop for what you want shipped to your house. For prescription only products, we will get a notification from the pharmacy and approve your pet. Often there are discounts for AUTO SHIP and many promotions throughout the year. Please call if there are any questions about our online store.