17 Feb February is National Pet Dental Health Month
In many veterinary practices around the country, February is celebrated as National Pet Dental Health Month. Practices may have special promotions like discounts on dental cleanings and additional educational materials to help clients understand the importance of their pet’s oral health. At Animal Dental Care and Oral Surgery in Fort Collins, we like to say that every month is National Pet Dental Health Month because we celebrate it every day! Here are all the ways that we like to party:
- Education: Every examination comes with a thorough discussion about what we can see on an awake oral exam. Loose teeth, bad breath, oral tumors and malocclusions are some of the many things that we might find in a dog or cat’s mouth. We want you to understand your pet’s issues and what possible choices there are for treatment. In addition, we also like to educate other veterinarians by hosting lectures and hands-on labs. Veterinary students from CSU are also allowed to visit and observe as part of their externship program. The more everyone knows about oral health, the more we can improve the lives of pets.
- Diagnostics: Every anesthetized exam includes a cone beam CT (CBCT) scan. This 30-second scan is the latest technology for diagnosing dental problems. Besides being more accurate than dental radiographs at detecting changes in the teeth and bones, it can also show abnormalities in the nose, sinuses, ears and temporomandibular joints.
- Home dental care: There are so many products on the market now and so much information on the internet it can be difficult to choose what is best for your pets. Why not ask the experts? You can look at the Veterinary Oral Health Council (vohc.org) for lists of products that are proven to be effective- everything from dental diets to drinking water additives and dental chews. We are happy to provide every patient with a bag of samples of products that are appropriate for your dog or cat’s needs.
- Treatment and follow-up: All this information wouldn’t be worth much if we couldn’t also fix your pet’s oral health problem. From tooth fractures to jaw fractures, from oral cancer to stomatitis, we offer a way to treat oral diseases that affect your pet’s quality of life. All surgical patients get free follow-up exams, and owners can reach out to our doctors after hours if they have any concerns.
So, if you want to join the dental health celebration, give us a call anytime. We will be happy to schedule a consultation for you and your pet. For more valuable information on pet dental health, please check out the following links from the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Dental College.
https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/pet-dental-care
https://avdc.org/animal-owner-resources/
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use 02/17/2025) Image by G.C. from Pixabay