Pet Dental Care
Dental disease begins with the accumulation of plaque on your dog’s or cat’s teeth. Plaque is the soft yellow material that is a mixture of food particles and bacteria. Over time, the plaque begins to harden and forms a mineralized material called tartar, or calculus. Before the plaque turns into tartar is when home care is the most important and beneficial. Once tartar is formed, normal brushing at home is not enough to fully remove it. With tartar being formed, the environment within the mouth becomes favorable to harmful organisms and bacteria. When our Veterinarians look at the teeth during an exam, a tartar grade and a periodontal disease grade, is assigned to your pet. This grade is based on the WORST tooth in the mouth.
Tartar Grades Are As Follows:
Grade I – When the tooth has mild plaque present but no tartar at the time of examination.
Grade II – There is an increased amount of plaque present, and tartar is covering <50% of the tooth.
Grade III – Tartar covers 50-80% of the tooth.
Grade IV – Tartar covers 80–100% of the tooth.
