Just as people have cavities, need root canals and lose teeth, pets can have serious dental problems.  These problems can cause weight loss, chronic pain, decrease in their quality of life and lead to secondary diseases such as heart, kidney or liver diseases.  Even with such long-term health concerns, your pet could have severe dental health problems, and with out careful monitoring, could go completely unnoticed.  ...

These problems can cause weight loss, chronic pain, decrease in their quality of life and lead to secondary diseases such as heart, kidney or liver diseases.  Even with such long-term health concerns, your pet could have severe dental health problems, and with out careful monitoring, could go completely unnoticed.  In as little as three years of age, dogs and cats can form cavities, get tooth root infections, have infections of the gums (periodontal disease) and have teeth weakened.

Disease:  Dogs and cats can begin to lose their baby (deciduous) teeth beginning at 3-4 months of age and should lose all remaining baby teeth by 6-8 months of age.  In some pets, these teeth are retained causing malocclusions of the mouth, periodontal disease of the gums and trauma and injury to the roof of the mouth.  These retained teeth can cause accelerated plaque build up on surrounding teeth as well as being potentially painful or irritating to the gums. Clinical signs of problematic teeth are:

• Increased plaque and tartar on adult teeth
• Halitosis (due to tartar build up)
• Irritated red gums
• Indents or holes in gums and jaw secondary to misplaced teeth
• Malocclusions

Disease: Gingival hyperplasia refers to masses that are attached to your pet's gums. The mass can be small to large size and appear vegetative to firm and solid. There can be single or multiple masses. Clinical signs from this disease can be:

• Bad breath
• Presence of an enlarging mass or masses
• Bleeding from the gum
• Teeth that appears loose around the mass area