Hi! My name is Molly. I am a very sweet 5 year old Chihuahua. I recently came to the hospital for my routine checkup and Dr. Cook said I should have my teeth cleaned because there was a notable amount of tartar on my teeth and my gums were red and inflamed. Dr. Cook said that by getting my teeth cleaned and following up with home dental care, such as a special dental diet, brushing and chewable treats, I could ward off progressive dental disease that could eventually cause problems with my heart, kidneys and liver. Once I was under anesthesia at the hospital for my dental cleaning, my technician, Nora, told Dr. Cook that I had a couple of loose molars. He took some digital dental X-rays and found something very interesting. In addition to the loose molars, there were two pre-molars that looked perfectly normal to the naked eye, but the X-rays showed that the roots below the gum line were completely cracked! Ouch! Dr. Cook extracted the fractured teeth (and the loose teeth, too). I felt much better the very next day! Thanks Dr. Cook!
-Molly
It has been documented that approximately 40% of cats and 24% of dogs have lesions under the gum line that can only be detected by the use of X-rays. Please feel free to ask any of our technical staff if you have any questions about your pet's dental health!
-Nora
