Meet my little boy Spanky. Spanky is 15 years old and there are many reason to love Spanky, but there is one thing he does that makes him unusually special. Spanky allows me brush his teeth. Not only does he let me brush them, he lets me brush them with an electric toothbrush! Thanks to Spanky’s good dental habits he always gets a good report when he sees his vet for a checkup!
Now this is Pumpkin. Pumpkin is 11 years old and recently I noticed that her breath was not quite “purrfect”. Pumpkin does let me brush her teeth with a manual toothbrush, but she is not as cooperative as her brother. Inspection revealed that her problem wasn’t just “fish breath”. Her gums were obviously red and swollen, and there was some bleeding when we brushed. So off to the vet we went for a thorough dental check-up that included x-rays and a cleaning.
Sassy, also 11 years old, is a non-compliant dental patient. She does NOT let me brush and she never flosses. She is next to visit the vet dentist and trust me, when she sees the cat carrier she will be under the bed! Cats and dogs have plaque in their mouths just like people do. Without effective plaque removal they are likely to get gum disease and that leads to possible dental pain and tooth loss. Prevention is always the better and less expensive way to go. Introduce a toothbrush to your pets when they are very young and it can really make a difference as they age. If you have any questions about gum disease in pets – call your vet. If you have any questions about gum disease in people, drop me a line or give me a call!
Jan
Patient Coordinator
412-487-8288
jan@mjweingarden.net
Dental Implants & Periodontics Pittsburgh
4290 William Flynn Highway #104
Allison Park, PA 15101
www.pittsburghimplantsandperio.com