Comprehensive Dental Services

A healthy mouth is a healthy pet.
Periodontal (all the important things that attach teeth to the mouth) disease is estimated to affect 60% of all dogs and 70% of all cats. This alarmingly common disease is all too often overlooked. Dental services for your pet is about more than just pretty teeth!
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These chronic infections constantly shower down system organs (heart, lungs, liver, kidneys) with bacteria. Among other harmful effects, the bacteria cause painful bone infections under the gum line, where we can’t see. Dogs and cats are stoical about pain, which is why it is so easily overlooked. In spite of this deep bone ache, they will often appear to eat and play regularly. But after we address the infection, almost all owners notice an improvement in general energy and well-being.
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The Dental COHAT
When your pet is brought to Crossroads Animal Hospital for a dental visit, a Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment are performed
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  1. Awake oral exam to evaluate occlusion
  2. Anesthetize the patient to protect the airway from water. Continuous monitoring by a dedicated technician with state-of-the-art monitoring equipment
  3. Full mouth x-rays to assess the health of the tooth
  4. Ultrasonic scaling of the teeth by a trained technician above AND below the gum line (this is critical!)
  5. Polishing the teeth to remove the microgrooves created by the ultrasonic scaler
  6. Subgingival irrigation to remove debris & polishing paste
  7. The veterinarian performs hand scaling under the gum line, full mouth periodontal probing, dental radiograph interpretation, and develops a treatment plan 
  8. The veterinarian calls the owner to obtain approval for the treatment plan. X-rays are absolutely essential to developing a treatment plan
  9. If surgical extractions are warranted, local anesthetic (“tooth numbing”) is injected, x-rays are obtained after extraction, and all gum tissue is sutured back in place. Comprehensive home care instructions and pain control medications are dispensed