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Pet Dental Care

Good oral hygiene is a fundamental component of your dog or cat’s overall health. With the combination of our professional dental cleanings and at-home dental care, you can fight plaque and tartar build-up on your pet's teeth, and prevent gingivitis and the potential of periodontal disease. At Animal Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, our professional dental cleanings includes:

• A complete dental exam with digital dental x-rays and charting of pathology
• Hand scaling and ultrasonic scaling
• Polishing
• Extractions (if needed)

During our professional dental cleanings, your pet’s vital signs will be monitored by our trained technicians for his or her safety. Our animal hospital is equipped with state of the art digital monitoring technology to ensure that your pet is safe and comfortable during the cleaning.

At-Home Dental Care

After we have professionally cleaned and polished your pet’s teeth, a good dental care routine should continue at home. With just a few simple steps, brushing your dog or cat’s teeth at home can be the most effective means of preventing dental infections and diseases. Our staff can help you learn how to effectively care for your dog or cat’s teeth at home. Please call us if you have any questions on how to brush your pet’s teeth, or discuss at-home dental care with us during their annual wellness exam.

Signs of Oral and Dental Diseases in Dogs and Cats

When plaque buildup occurs, the accumulation of bacteria will eventually progress to gingivitis. If left untreated, gingivitis will lead to an inflammatory disease called periodontitis. Over time, periodontitis destroys the structure that supports the teeth, and causes pain and chronic infections. Periodontitis eventually causes bone loss and can cause the teeth to loosen or fall out.

Dental infections and diseases also affect your pet’s overall health. It’s important to watch for symptoms that may indicate an underlying infection or condition such as:

• Loss of appetite or loss of weight
• Bad breath
• Loose teeth or teeth that are discolored or covered in tartar
• Your pet shies away from you when you touch the mouth area
• Drooling or dropping food from the mouth
• Bleeding from the mouth
• Loss of appetite or loss of weight

If your dog or cat is showing any of these symptoms and would like to schedule an appointment, please call us at 205-758-7295.