At our dental clinic, we help dogs, cats and horses with their teeth and oral cavity problems. We offer everything from tartar removal to advanced jaw surgery.
Dental issues can cause unnecessary suffering for your pet. We are here for all types of dental problems. We offer services such as dental cleaning, root canals fillings, tumor surgery, tooth extractions if necessary, and advice on bridle for horses. We use modern technology and equipment together with knowledge from the latest research in the field.
How to brush your dog's teeth!
By regularly brushing your dog's teeth, you can reduce the risk of major problems such as tartar, periodontitis and gum inflammation.
It is always preferable to gradually teach your pet to brush their teeth, starting whilst the dog is still young. In the beginning, tooth brushing training can last a few seconds but a maximum of a couple of minutes to let the dog get used to the situation. Remember to use a soft toothbrush. It does not matter what time of day you brush, but train at a pace and in an environment that best suits your dog.
Remember to use toothpaste and toothbrushes that are meant for animals. Toothpaste for humans can lead to fluoride poisoning in animals.
Make sure your dog gets used to you touching its nose and lips, where you can safely hold his nose, lift his lips and touch his teeth.
Start by brushing the outside of the canines and then the molars in the upper jaw. The dog can keep its mouth closed. Brush with soft strokes a few times on each tooth. Some advice! Angle the toothbrush out to reach the molars at the back.
Brush the canines and molars in the lower jaw. To reach the molars further back, the dog needs to open its mouth slightly.
The front teeth are brushed with small, neat strokes as this is an extra sensitive area for most dogs.
When you can brush the outside of all teeth well, you can continue with gradual training to also brush the inside of the teeth.
At SLU University Animal Hospital, we offer dogs and cats dental cleaning conducted by a veterinarian. It is called "Professional Dental Cleaning" or PTR (in Swedish: Professionell tandrengöring).
During PTR, various examinations are performed to determine the health of each individual tooth. Among other things, we use X-ray to examine the teeth. To ensure that the cleaning is done thoroughly, a PTR needs to be performed under anaesthesia where the animal is also connected to a closed breathing system. This is done to minimize the risks of anesthesia and to avoid bacteria from the oral cavity entering the animal's lungs.
When a veterinarian performs a PTR, both dental pockets and dental roots are cleaned using ultrasound and hand instruments. Tartar is also removed and the teeth are polished. If teeth are loose, broken or have deep dental pockets, extraction or further treatment may be necessary. In order for your animal to continue to have good dental health after the treatment, it is important to take care of the animal's teeth with regular tooth brushing at home.
Tartar occurs when bacteria create a coating on the surface of teeth that then forms what we call plaque. After a while, often within a couple of days, the coating becomes hard and becomes tartar. If tartar is allowed to remain, it can lead to the gums becoming inflamed. As a result, the gums becomes swollen and has a red stripe in the area near the tooth.
It is not always noticeable when an animal has problems or suffers from poor oral health. Even tooth fractures and other problems can sometimes be missed if you do not regularly check your animal's mouth. Therefore, it is always good to brush your dog's teeth regularly to prevent tartar but also to notice if there are changes that could potentially cause problems for your animal.
How to prevent tartar
Brush your dog's teeth! It's always a good idea to get your dog used to brushing their teeth when they're young, but you can also teach older dogs to brush their teeth every day to maintain good oral health. For some, brushing their teeth 2-3 times a week is enough, while others are more prone to tartar and, despite daily brushing, need to visit the vet for a professional cleaning.
For more information on brushing your dog's teeth, see "How to brush your dog's teeth!".
Periodontitis is one of the most common diseases that affect dogs and cats. The disease causes chronic inflammation, discomfort and eventually the teeth become loose if not prevented.
What causes periodontitis is when bacteria create a coating on the tooth's surface which then forms what we call plaque. If the coating is not removed by daily brushing, this can lead to the gums becoming inflamed. The gums swell, causing a pocket between the tooth and the gum (also called a dental pocket). Bacteria can grow in the dental pocket and eventually lead to tissue breakdown. Gums, jawbone and the surface layer of the tooth's root might become damaged. Eventually, the tooth becomes loose because the tissue around it has disappeared and the animal eventually loses the tooth.
Once periodontitis has started, the disease can only be stopped. Tissue that has already been broken down can never be restored. Therefore, it is important to prevent tooth loss through daily brushing.
How to prevent periodontitis
Brush your dog's teeth! It's always a good idea to get your dog used to brushing their teeth when they're young, but you can also teach older dogs to brush their teeth every day to maintain good oral health. For some, brushing their teeth 2-3 times a week is enough, while others are more prone to tartar buildup and, despite daily brushing, need to visit the vet for a professional cleaning.
For more information about brushing your dog's teeth, see "How to brush your dog's teeth!".
The horse's teeth
Horse teeth are designed to be able to bite off and chew grass almost all the time they are awake. The constant eating continuously wears down the teeth and causes a natural wear down that is compensated for by the tooth being pushed out of the tooth socket at the similar rate.
With the help of the slightly angled chewing surfaces of the horse's teeth, the teeth can grind themselves. This allows the horse to eat and grind down its food without problems. The grinding itself mainly puts strain on the molars, whilst the front teeth are used to bite off feed, such as grass. Horses' teeth wear down and are pushed up throughout the horse's life. The permanent teeth are fully developed at around 7–8 years of age. This means that there is a limited length and also a limited lifespan for the horse's teeth.
During the horse's younger years, it gets its full set of molars which is a total of 24. Half of these should both emerge and also allow underlying permanent teeth to emerge. This can be troublesome for the horse. If the horse is intended to have a bit (horse tack) in the mouth, the wolf teeth can also cause problems. They should therefore be removed before the first use of a bridle. When the horse approaches 8–10 years of age, the mouth reaches its "middle age". At this stage, there should be a balance between the horse's teeth being worn down and teeth being pushed up.
What is wolf teeth?
Wolf teeth are small underdeveloped teeth that can be found before the first molar in a horse. They usually becomes visible whilst the horse is still young, around 1 year old.
In older horses, the need for equine dental care increases. With age, the horse's teeth become more narrow closer to the root, which can increase the risk of gaps between the teeth. In these gaps, for example, feed can get stuck. Since the enamel wears out at different speeds in different teeth, the horse risks having uneven chewing surfaces, where the tooth whose enamel is worn out loses the ability to grind down the opposing tooth.
The shorter teeth in older horses can also lead to them becoming loose or to the teeth cracking or breaking. This is painful for the horse and unfortunately it can be difficult to detect. The horse can continue to eat as usual without the animal owner noticing a change. Eventually, the mouth completely loses the ability to process feed, other than already finely crushed feed, and at this point the horse's life usually also comes to an end.
To examine the molars, an examination is performed with a mouth ladder and a flashlight. The horse is usually sedated during the examination. In a simple inspection without a mouth ladder, only the front teeth can be examined, but not the important molars.
Similar to human teeth, horse teeth consist of enamel, dentin and cementum. But unlike humans, all three materials are visible on the chewing surface and extend throughout the entire length of the tooth except at the root. Since it is the sharp enamel that grinds up feed, the tooth is finished when it has been worn down to the root. It is therefore important to only grind the surface of the horse's tooth so as not to shorten the tooth and thus potentially the horse's lifespan.
Equine dental care is an important part of our horses' well-being but has historically been less of a priority. As a result, many horses go undiagnosed with serious oral problems. Among other things, dental problems can be caused by the way we bridle and train our horses. Therefore, it is important that we make sure not to damage our horses' teeth. At SLU University Animal Hospital, we always help with bridle advice, including during all our oral examinations that are performed at our dental clinic.
By regularly visiting the veterinarian for an oral examination, we reduce the risk of our horses suffering from dental problems.
Remember! The horse does not always show signs of pain even though there are problems. Therefore, it is important to regularly examine the horse's oral cavity.
