Dental Care: Professional Dental Cleaning

Do you smell an odor coming from your pet's mouth? Is your pet over three years old? Does your pet drool, bleed from the mouth, or have difficultly eating their food? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your pet is a candidate for a professional dental cleaning.

A professional dental cleaning is the only treatment for dental disease once your pet has calculus and the infection is affecting the gum and tooth. Studies show that 85% of adult pets are affected with periodontal disease, so it is likely that your pet needs a professional dental cleaning. A safe, thorough and appropriate dental treatment can only be completed when the pet is anesthetized. Dog groomers, boarding facilities and trainers may offer tooth brushing. This does not remove the calculus a pet already has on its teeth and to be effective in preventing buildup it needs to be done regularly.

If dental disease is caught early, the costs are significantly less. However, pets with dental disease left untreated may need tooth extractions, x-rays, periodontal therapy and restorative treatment. At The Zimmerman Veterinary Clinic, you pet is put under anesthesia to probe and evaluate all of the teeth before we can provide a price quote on any procedures because most of the damage from periodontal disease cannot be seen until fully evaluated.