OVH is committed to promoting excellent oral health in all our patients by providing up to date informa-tion, dental products, and intra-operative techniques. We adhere to American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) dental care guidelines, assuring you that your pet is receiving the highest quality of care.

Our dental services• Complete oral assessment• Digital oral radiography• Ultrasonic cleaning & polishing• Periodontal disease treatment• Surgical extractions for: - Abscessed roots - Periodontal disease - Feline resorptive lesions• Oral surgery - Tumors - Jaw fracture repair - Tooth fracture/trauma• Crowding/malocclusion• Home care instructions and products

All dental procedures are completed as a team effort by a veterinarian and assistant who have attended dental specific training courses.

www.OXFORDVETERINARYHOSPITAL.com

WHY CHOOSE OVH

P E T S N E E D D E N TA L C A R E T O O !

YOUR PET’S DENTAL HYGIENE

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A pre-operative examination and bloodwork is always required within 30 days of any dental procedure. This enables the doctor to assess your pet’s overall health, identify any anesthetic risks, and to grade the dental disease. Assessing the extent of your pet’s dental disease aids us in scheduling an appropriate amount of time for the procedure. Dental procedures are done most days of the week.

Treatment PlansWe are happy to provide written treatment plans. Basic charges for anesthesia, full oral assessment, cleaning and polishing are standardized and based on the size of your pet. Additional procedures are difficult to accurately predict until the pet receives the full oral exam under anesthesia. The cost of these procedures depends on equipment needed and the time involved in accomplishing them. On the day of your pet’s procedure, we ask that you leave a phone number where you can reached for the doctor or technician to call and discuss additional findings and to get your permission to proceed with treatment.

Typed Discharge InstructionsEvery patient goes home with detailed home care instructions including directions for post anesthesia care, a list of medications, and dental home care needs specific for each patient.

No Charge Treatment Progress ExamWe schedule our dental patients back in 2 weeks for an examination to assess health, to instruct our patient’s caretakers on the long term home care, and to schedule future dental care for treatment and control of dental problems specific for each pet. This visit is offered at no additional charge.

Homecare is the most important part of treating dental disease.Following through with home care recommendations is the best investment you can make for your pet’s future dental health and will save on the cost of future dental care.

How To Schedule Your Pet’s Dental Procedure

What to Expect After Your Pet’s Dental Procedure:

Resorptive Lesion (Common in Cats)

Resorptive lesions are similar to cavities in humans, but they are more likely to be painful because the tooth enamel in cats and dogs is much thinner than in humans. Because of exposed nerves affected teeth need to be extracted for pain relief.

Chronic infection is noticeably destroying the gums, teeth, and bone. At this stage, the organ systems are at a high risk of infection from the bacteria spread-ing through the body via the bloodstream.

Part of the gums are slightly inflamed and swollen. There is visible plaque on the teeth.

The edges of the gums are inflamed and swollen, there may be noticeable oral pain or odor from the mouth. At this stage, loose teeth are often found and bad odor is evident.

The gums are very red and bleed easily when probed or brushed (this means they are damaged by infection and calculus). During this stage, infection may start to have detrimental effects.

Mild Gingivitis(reversible stage)

Moderate Gingivitis(reversible stage)

Severe Gingivitis(potentially reversible stage)

Periodontal Disease(irreversible stage)

Stage 2 and above may include:• Pre-operative pain medication if extractions

are necessary

• Digital radiographs

• Extractions with local nerve block

• Post-extraction radiograph

• Periodontal disease treatment

• Oral pain medication to go home

• Antibiotics to go home

• Laser Therapy

WHAT IS DONE DURING A DENTAL

PROCEDURE?All dentals include:• Intravenous catheterization

• General anesthesia

• Anesthetic monitoring by nurse and high quality monitoring equipment

• Intra-operative IV fluids

• Complete oral assessment to chart every tooth to monitor changes or abnormalities

• Hand scaling followed by ultrasonic scaling

• Polishing and/or Fluoride treatment

• Wax sealant applied to all teeth

Advances in preventative care, nutrition, diagnostics and treatment have led to our pets living longer lives. Unfortunately, oral care is still often overlooked as an important part of a pet’s health care regimen. Approximately 85 % of dogs and 75 % of cats over 3 years old have some degree of periodontal disease.

Dental Disease is Progressive.The disease starts with accumulation of plaque. As plaque calcifies, it becomes hard tartar called calculus.

As the plaque and calculus accumulate, the gums (gingiva) become inflamed and infected. The bond between the gums and tooth begins to deteriorate. This loss of attachment is called periodontitis.

These gingival pockets trap food and bacteria becoming deeper with more calculus forming below the gum line. The infection and destruction continues, leading to bone loss around the base of the tooth. As the bone loss increases, the tooth will become mobile and eventually be lost.

This is a long painful process and puts the animal at risk of bacteria moving through the blood stream to the kidneys, heart valves, liver, and other organs.

Dental Disease is Preventable.Regular dental checkups, professional dental cleanings, and home dental care are essential in preventing debilitating and painful periodontal disease and tooth loss.

-Bad Breath-Yellow or brown tartar on teeth-Sore mouth-Bleeding gums-Pawing or rubbing at mouth-Difficulty or hesitance when eating-Drooling-Loose teeth or lose of teeth.

WHY IS DENTAL CARE SO IMPORTANT?

Staging Your Pet’s Dental Disease | Grading Scale

STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3 STAGE 4

Signs include: