Dentistry
Prevention is the key and we can help! Having your cat's teeth evaluated annually, during their regular examination, is important for detecting dental disease as it starts. Despite this, oral disease is the most frequently diagnosed health problem in pets. Common signs of oral disease include tartar buildup, red and swollen gums and bad breath. In later stages you may notice changes in eating or chewing habits, pawing at the face and generalized lethargy or depression.
Simply scraping the tartar off the surface of the tooth does little to correct periodontitis. To truly address the problem we must remove the tartar and bacteria under the gums. This is done under a general anesthetic as cleaning below the gum line is uncomfortable and takes time to do well. In many cases, we find diseased teeth on x-rays too, and can address this during the same appointment.
Dental disease can affect your cat's overall health, including changes to their internal organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys.
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If your cat needs a dentistry procedure
For a complete oral exam, your cat will be placed under general anesthesia. Bloodwork is required beforehand (can be done morning of) to assess organ function and the safest medications to use given your cats health status. During the procedure, a technician and Dr. Baran will:
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Radiograph all quadrants of your cats mouth
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Assessing roots and surrounding bone structure​
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Over half of your cats tooth structure is below the gums and can only be evaluated with x-ray
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Conduct a thorough exam of all 30 of your cats teeth, the gums, roof of the mouth, inside of the cheeks and back of the throat
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Dr. Baran will determine the appropriate treatment for each tooth by combining the visual exam with the radiographs
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Any painful or diseased teeth will be removed
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Appropriate pain medication will be administered during the procedure, and dental blocks will be used for any extractions
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A technician will scale and polish the remaining teeth
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You will receive a call after the dental procedure with an update on your cat. Your cat will be sent home with pain medication and will come back in a week for a dental recheck to assess healing.
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