Dentistry

Just like people, pets need regular dental checks throughout their life. Dental disease is common in both cats and dogs but can be difficult to detect at home. 

Signs of dental disease include:

• Smelly breath 
• Red, inflamed gums 
• Brown discolouration of the teeth 
• Bleeding from the gums 
• Eating more slowly than usual 
• Eating less than usual 
• Teeth falling out 

Our trained vets and nurses can perform a full dental check (if your pet allows it!), identifying any dental disease and its severity, and making a recommendation for treatment. However, a complete assessment can only be performed under general anaesthetic, even in a very well-behaved patient. 

All pets will have their teeth checked at their annual vaccination appointment, and this should be a minimum. It is advisable to have your pets’ teeth checked more regularly e.g., at their six-month health check, to prevent painful dental disease from developing. If you have concerns about your pet's dental health, please call the practice to book a dental check. 

A six-month health check is included in The Healthy Pet Club membership! 

What if dental disease is found?

If dental disease is found on examination, a dental procedure will be recommended. Thankfully many of our practices have the facilities to perform dental procedures on-site. They are always performed under anaesthetic, as it is simply not possible to do a thorough assessment with pets awake.   

Putting off a dental procedure will likely cause worsening of the dental disease, discomfort and potentially more tooth extractions as well as making the procedure more complex, longer and more expensive. 

The Healthy Pet Club members benefit from a fixed price dental or a 20% discount for rabbits – speak to your practice for more information.

Disclaimer

Please note that the content made available on this webpage is for general information purposes only. Whilst we try to ensure that at the time of writing all material is up to date and reflects industry standards, we make no representation, warranties or guarantees that the information made available is up to date, accurate or complete. Any reliance placed by yourselves is done so at your own risk.