The number one disease affecting dogs and cats is dental disease.

How do we know if a pet needs dental care? The simple answer is "Only if (s)he has teeth." Oral hygiene should begin at home with puppies and kittens, and brushing is by far the best method for preventing dental disease.

In all starts with plaque. Bacteria form a film on the teeth, multiplying, causing gingivitis (gum infection), hardening into tartar, and eventually destroying the attachment of the tooth to the bone and even the bone itself. The infected mouth releases hordes of bacteria into the bloodstream and can lead to organ disease, including heart, kidney and liver disease. By the time you notice bad breath or reluctance to eat due to pain, oral disease may be contributing to even greater problems.

Prevention is the goal. The only thing that can remove the plaque slime layer is brushing or wiping. Rinses may kill some bacteria, but will not remove the plaque layer. Special chews, Hill's T/D diet and certain toys designed to scrape teeth clean all help, but only brushing with a toothbrush, Q-tip or cloth will do the whole job.

Even with brushing, almost all pets will need some professional cleaning during their lifetime. Some animals may only require a cleaning (or "dental prophy") once or twice; others may need care yearly. Indications for a veterinary prophy include tartar and gingivitis. Ideally the procedure should be done before irreversible damage has been done.

	A normal, healthy mouth has pink, smooth gums and clean, white teeth.
	Early disease is characterized by tartar buildup on the teeth, with little or no inflammation of the gums. This is the perfect time to have the teeth cleaned, before irreversible damages occurs to the structures around the tooth.
	Tartar and plaque lead to infection of the gums, or "gingivitis", with reddened, swollen gums which bleed easily.
	Left untreated, gingivitis leads to periodontitis, or disease of the tissues around the tooth. The gums begin to recede, and bone is lost around the tooth roots, forming pockets. These changes are irreversible and must be treated quickly to prevent tooth loss.
	Severe dental disease leads to tooth loss.

Dental Cleaning
The elements of a professional dental cleaning or "prophylaxis" ("prophy" for short) are scaling, or scraping away plaque and tartar, and polishing. This must be done with the pet under general anesthesia. No other method can clean the teeth thoroughly, especially in the crucial area around and under the gums. Simply scraping off the visible tartar can actually cause more tooth damage, leaving tiny scratches on the tooth which collect bacteria.

Scaling is the removal of tartar and plaque by the vibration of an ultrasonic or sonic scaler, or with hand instruments. Special scalers and hand instruments can also be used to clean any exposed root surfaces. The turbulent action of ultrasonic scaling also kills the bacteria in the periodontal pockets. All scaling methods leave tiny scratches on the tooth surface, which must then be smoothed by polishing with a very fine pumice paste.

Deep periodontal pockets may sometimes be treated with an antibiotic gel called Doxyrobe Periodontal Treatment®. This product is placed into the pocket where it quickly hardens and will remain for several days, slowly releasing antibiotic to keep the pocket bacteria-free. This can aid in the re attachment of the gingiva (gum) to the tooth, reducing pocket depth.

If the pocket is too extensive, or if the tooth is loose or abscessed, it must be removed.

Pets, especially cats, can also develop lesions similar to human cavities, except that they usually occur at the gum line. X-rays can be used to evaluate the rest of the tooth, and the smaller lesions may be filled if no other problems exist under the gum line.