Pet Dental Care

Chesapeake Veterinary Hospital is proud to offer advanced dental care to pets. Pets anesthetized for dental procedures are constantly monitored by a doctor and trained surgery technician. Because your pet’s comfort is of the utmost importance to us, we offer safe and effective pain management.

Your pet’s dental procedure includes a full cleaning in which we will clean, polish, and probe each tooth individually. We will perform a soft tissue exam to check for cancers, sores, and other oral problems.  We will also address any abnormalities, including periodontal disease; missing, fractured, or extra teeth; retained deciduous (“baby”) teeth; and oral tumors or lesions. We also make use of our dental x-ray machine to better evaluate the patient’s internal root structure and tooth condition, a useful tool for guiding the dental procedure.

Prevention is a crucial part of any dental care regimen. The veterinarians at Chesapeake Veterinary Hospital stress the importance of regular brushing of your pet’s teeth, which is the most effective step you can take to prevent oral disease. Giving your pet daily dental chews and feeding a dental-friendly diet are also helpful in maintaining your pet’s oral health.

Oral disease in your pet is not always noticeable to the untrained eye. Here are a few facts about dental disease that may provide some hints about your pet’s oral health:

  1. Bad breath is not normal! Halitosis, or bad breath, is often the first sign of a dental problem in pets. Don’t delay a visit to our hospital if your pet has bad breath! Dental disease is treated more effectively when caught early.
  2. Periodontal disease is the most common and most overlooked disease process of dogs and cats.
  3. Dental disease causes significant pain that your pet cannot tell you about; they often suffer in silence.
  4. Animals with oral disease rarely stop eating. Regular visits to the veterinarian, including regular dental checkups, are the best way to ensure your pet’s dental health.
  5. Dental infections, if left untreated, can often lead to larger systemic problems in your pet due to oral bacteria entering the blood stream and damaging the kidneys, heart, and liver.