By Veterinary Nurse Bronwyn Kendall
As a veterinary practice we often come across a variety of dental injuries. These can be caused from sticks, chewing stones, dog fights or other traumas.
These can be very painful if left untreated, and this is why it is so important to do regular health checks on your pet's mouth. Common signs to look out for are; bad breath, pawing at the mouth, reluctance to eat or drink, discoloured teeth, painful when touching mouth or any lumps in or around their mouth.
It is important that if you see something stuck in your pet's mouth to contact the vet straight away for advice. Sedation is often required to remove the object safely as removing the object yourself could cause further damage, or you could get injured yourself if your pet is distressed.
We often see damaged teeth where the pet has been playing rough with other pets or chewing objects that are too hard for the teeth. If a tooth becomes fractured, often it will need to be extracted. This will mean them coming in for a general anaesthetic and performing dental radiographs to assess the teeth and jaw.
Dental injuries can also be caused by over chewing objects. In time the pulp of the tooth may become exposed. This could result in the tooth needing to be removed as it is extremely painful, or referral to a dental specialist to perform a root canal.
It is hard to prevent all dental injuries from happening. However, making some important swaps can be really helpful. This can include throwing dog toys into water instead of sticks and stones. Also, if your pet likes to chew items then providing them with a puzzle toy or filled kong might be helpful as a distraction.
We advise regular checks on your pet's mouth to check for plaque, damaged teeth, inflamed gums, masses or other abnormalities that could be causing them dental pain. This can help us identify an issue sooner and start treatment before it progresses, and your pet becomes unwell.
Performing regular tooth brushing and other hygiene measures on your pet’s teeth will help to prevent future issues and identify potential issues. If you are struggling with tooth brushing, contact your vet. At Paragon, we can book you into one of our dental clinics, where the nurse will demonstrate tooth brushing and go through the best options for dental hygiene tailored to your pet.
If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to contact your vet.