I want to start this post by thanking those people who have commented on my posts. I didn't realize till today, how to even read those comments!! So I wasn't ignoring anyone, just slow in my learning of this 'blogging' thing. Sooo, onto the topic at hand, dental disease. This section is going to be about how dental disease affects not only the mouth but the pets overall health.
Dental Disease and Health:
All dental disease starts with disease of the periodontium. The periodontium is simply all the 'stuff' holding a tooth in the mouth. It is the bone, connective tissue, and gum surrounding and supporting a tooth. In one of my veterinary text it says, "according to the Guinness World Book of Records, periodontal disease is the most common infectious disease of man". That is amazing to me when you think that the common cold is an infectious disease!! More people have periodontal disease than get the common cold....
Periodontal disease starts by bacteria mixing with our saliva and forming 'plaque'. This is the stuff we brush off twice daily, that makes your teeth feel kinda 'hairy' and causes that wonderful morning breath! Well, if you can imagine what happens when this plaque isn't brushed off, it becomes hard and forms calculus. Once this hard calculus forms that's when the bacteria start to have a real "party". The bacteria starts causing inflammation of the gum(gingivitis) and over time destruction of the actual tooth. This bacteria and tissue destruction is what causes the terrible odor. This bacteria can also take the blood highway/blood stream to all the other body organs. This can cause damage to the heart, kidney, liver, etc. over time. This is the concerning part about poor mouth health is that it can affect the entire body!
I talked about prevention in my first blog of this series. I have so many pets that we have started with teeth cleaning too late. The pet is already in need of extractions on the first cleaning. This means we are already behind, there is already destruction of the teeth and gums. I explain it as a domino effect, you have one rotten tooth and it starts causing destruction of the teeth on each side of it. This pet is most likely going to require more extractions in the future, as well as regular cleanings. Many owners are concerned the pet won't be able to eat if there are alot of teeth pulled. The teeth that need to be pulled are usually rotten or the root/pulp is exposed. These teeth for sure are causing the pet pain. I can't even imagine what a rotten tooth feels like, moving around in there rubbing on sensitive nerves. I am pretty sure the pet is not chewing with those teeth anyways. Most dogs I've seen with rotten teeth just swallow their food whole.
I guess I should stop prattling on about prevention and dental health... It is just one of those things that is totally preventable and provides such an improvement in your pets quality and length of life. I think it is one of the things that makes my oldest baby-Ebony, so lively and healthy. She has gorgeous teeth, that are cleaned regularly and we do dental maintenance at home. Just a reminder she is 11 and has all of her teeth! Pretty good for a little fluffy princess!
There are two really good sites listed on my favorites: Pets need Dental Care, too and CET Dental Health.
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